IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


1.1 


J25 

m 

mm  jm 

U 


■iS   ■2.0 


I 


Photographic 

^Sciences 

Corporation 


U  ViiST  MAIN  STRKT 

WMSTIR.N.Y.  \4in 

(7l«>i  E    :«S03 


'^ 


0 


r.^ 


^ 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  hlstoriques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checlced  below. 


□ 


D 
D 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagie 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculte 


|~n    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gtographiques  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouttes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  iorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmtes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppltmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm*  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagtes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurtes  et/ou  pelliculies 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxet 
Pages  dteolortes,  tachettes  ou  piqutes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditach^es 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit^  inigale  de  I'lmpression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


I — I  Pages  damaged/ 

I     I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

r~~\  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

[~~1  Pages  detached/ 

r~1  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I     I  includes  supplementary  material/ 

r~n  Only  edition  available/ 


P< 
o 


Oi 
b« 
th 
si( 
ot 
fir 
si< 
or 


Th 
sh 
Til 
wl 

Ml 
dif 
en 
bm 
rig 
rec 
mi 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  fllmtes  A  nouveau  de  fa9on  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

2BX 

30X 

J 

■ 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

Th«  copy  filmed  h«r»  haa  baan  raproduead  thanka 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 


L'axamplaira  filmA  fut  raproduit  grAca  h  la 
gAnArositA  da: 


University  of  Victoria 

Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  an  tha  baat  quality 
poaaibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apacif Icatlona. 


Original  copiaa  in  print  k<  papar  covara  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  fro'«t  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  p/intad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
sion.  or  tha  bacic  covk  whan  appropriate.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  arm  filmad  beginning  on  the 
firat  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
alon.  and  anding  on  the  laat  page  with  e  printed 
or  illuatratad  impreaalon. 


The  laat  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
ahail  contain  tha  symbol  ^»>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  appliea. 

Mapa.  plataa,  charta.  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratioa.  Thoae  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  framea  aa 
required.  The  following  diagrama  illustrate  the 
method: 


University  of  Victoria 

Lea  images  suivantas  ont  «t«  rnproduitas  avac  la 
plua  grand  soin,  compte  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattet*  da  l'axamplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformit*  avac  lea  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Lea  exemplairaa  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papier  eat  imprim«a  sont  film«s  an  commandant 
par  la  premier  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darniAra  page  qui  comporta  una  emprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  le  caa.  Tous  las  autras  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  filmAs  an  commandant  par  la 
pramiAre  page  qui  comporte  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darniAre  paga  qui  comporta  una  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dea  symboiaa  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  salon  la 
caa:  la  symbols  — *>  signifia  "A  SUIVRE",  la 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 

Lea  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  ate.  pauvant  dtra 
filmAa  A  dea  taux  da  rMuction  diff^rents. 
Lorsqua  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  an  un  saul  clich«,  it  ast  film*  d  partir 
de  I'angia  supAriaur  gauche,  da  gauche  A  droita, 
at  de  haut  an  baa,  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'imagea  nAcaaaaira.  Las  diagrammas  suivants 
illuatrant  la  m^thoda. 


t 

2 

3 

:    ^ 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

f  1 


THE  GREAT  TABOO. 


r;, 


iJ /^y  >  /  )  J  t  -Ci 


^Ce   04  / 


By  GRANT  ALLEN. 


NEW  YORK: 

A.  L.  BURT,  PUBLISHEIi. 


PREFACE. 


I  DESIRE  to  express  my  profound  indebtedness,  for  the 
central  mythological  idea  embodied  in  this  tale,  to  Mr.  J. 
G.  Frazer's  admirable  and  epoch-making  work,  "The 
Golden  Bough,"  whose  main  contention  I  have  endeavored 
incidentally  to  popularize  in  my  present  story.  I  wish 
also  to  express  my  obligations  in  other  ways  to  Mr.  An- 
drew Lang's  "Myth,  Ritual,  and  Religion,"  Mr.  11.  O. 
Forbes's  "  Naturalist's  Wanderimrs,"  and  Mr.  Julian  Thom- 
as's "Cannibals  and  Convicts."  If  I  have  omitted  to 
mention  any  other  author  to  whom  I  may  have  owed  in- 
cidental hints,  it  will  be  some  consolation  to  me  to  reflect 
that  I  shall  at  least  have  afforded  an  opportunity  for  legit- 
imate sport  to  the  amateurs  of  the  new  and  popular  British 
pastime  of  badger-baiting  or  plagiary-hunting.  It  may 
also  save  critics  some  moments'  search  if  I  say  at  once 
that,  after  careful  consideration,  I  have  been  unable  to 
discover  any  moral  whatsoever  in  this  humble  narrative. 
I  venture  to  believe  that  in  so  enlightened  an  age  the 
majority  of  my  readers  will  never  miss  it. 

G.  A. 

The  Nook,  Dorking,  October,  i8go. 


THE  GREAT  TABOO. 


CHAPTER  I. 


IN    MID    PACIFIC. 

"  Man  overboard  ! " 

It  rang  in  Felix  Thurstan's  ears  like  the  sound  of  a 
bell.  He  gazed  about  him  in  dismay,  wondering  what  had 
happened. 

The  first  intimation  he  received  of  the  accident  was  that 
sudden  sharp  cry  from  the  bo'sun's  mate.  Almost  before 
he  had  fully  taken  it  in,  in  all  its  meaning,  another  voice, 
farther  aft,  took  up  the  cry  once  more  in  an  altered  form : 
"  A  lady  !  a  lady  !  Somebody  overboard  !  Great  heavens, 
it  is  her  !     It's  Miss  Ellis  !     Miss  Ellis !  " 

Next  instant  Felix  found  himself,  he  knew  not  how, 
struggling  in  a  wild  grapple  with  the  dark,  black  water. 
A  woman  was  clinging  to  him — clinging  for  dear  life. 
But  he  couldn't  have  told  you  himself  that  minute  how  it 
all  took  place.     He  was  too  stunned  and  dazzled. 

He  looked  around  him  on  the  seething  sea  in  a  sudden 
awakening,  as  it  were,  to  life  and  consciousness.  All 
about,  the  great  water  stretched  dark  and  tumultuous. 
White  breakers  surged  over  him.  Far  ahead  the  steamer's 
lights  gleamed  red  and  green  in  long  lines  upon  the 
ocean.  At  first  they  ran  fast  ;  then  they  slackened  some- 
what. She  was  surely  slowing  now  ;  they  must  be  revers- 
ing engines  and  trying  to  stop  her.  They  would  put  out 
a  boat.     But  what  hope,  what  chance  of  rescue  by  night, 


i    f 


Jn  sucii  a  wild  waste  of  „. 

«-  Clinging  to  .,.:;  o:Z.r""'  ,  '^""  '^^--nei  m. 

des,«,n„g  c,u.cl.  of  a  half  d"  JJi  «  o  "  'l'"'^'  "'"'  "- 
The  people  on  fho    a         ^^"^<^' ^voinan 

■^"">  encgl.  on  deck  and  ZZ       "  '"'="'-'  •""^  ^-f- 
-'■■e:  '^Ma„  overboard  rJ^'V''''''-'"'^  t^^'ise,  to  be 
"r"  ■-"  Stop   her  short '-  !  '        '""'^  ''"S^  "'  "'<-•  en..i„e 
^|.  -ioo.  sharp,  there  'an        r.  ..^"f  "-■"'-'""•^'-    '"« 
I'P  b.eatliless  at   the  first  -.uZ  \      ,  '''^^^"ffers  hurried 
"•■•tter.     Sailors  loosened  ..u'"'"  V'"^'  "•'''■"   ^^'^   "'« 
'^i^vus  ,vith  extraordinary   "If      I""   '"•"  ^'•->  ""-• 
S'vmg  orders  in  monosylhbt        ?'•     ^"'^■'•'^^  ^"«^d  bv 
"-  "urry  and  turn,oi     yet  >  , d,      '™"'=^'' ^•■''"'-     Au' 
order  and  prompt  obed  ence  4  t "],  "''ir"""^  ^"^"^-^  "f 
f'e  people  on  deck  badn't  the  1    •  ^"''  •""  •'•"y  rate 

"•ater,  the  La-npering  v  c  IthcT'  1 ""''  °'  ""=  "^"-'-o  .s' 
"ess  of  personal  da1,ger  „  '  ;'''?"'-'-"''"-eonsciou  ! 
Febx  Tf,.,...,n.3.     Thi  'could     1        "-'"■  '"■'■""^  -««'-  like 

-'d  listen  Without  teit  t^  h  'Xrl  7  '"'""  =  "-/ 

It  was  the  thirteenth  day  Zf^  °  l"'^  ■'"•■^'''<-•"'• 
Australasian  „.as  rapidly  nel,.,nl    ,""'  ^'''"'y'  •■•""  "- 
^vemng  tbe  wind  had  fr^esl,ered^,„';!,  ^•"■•'"--     Toward 
1"S.  aga.„st  ber  weather  side      R  ,        °  '"''  ^^"^  running 
n'gl.t.  though  the  n,oo„  S  „of     f  "'•'''  •''  «"<=  ^'--''^ 
br-ef  tropical  twilight  faded  f       'j"  ''"""  '  •'"•d  as   tlu 
>ves..  the  fringe  of  co'oan ut  T''  '^  ""'■=''  '"'^'-^  "' 
-d  "'e  little  island  of  Boumri    1"'  °"  ""=  ''-''^^"'a'  bou  uN 
two  in  dark  r.M„.  ../"""P""  showed  out  for  a  minute    r 


^oral-girt  shore    .T\  "'''"  "'«'''  ''^  = 

I      ,   M,      ^"o^e,  which  wns  fn  k^  *i    .  ^^   ^"''t 

land  fll  they  reached  Hon,  lu/°'  ""="'  ""■'"  S'i'"pse  of 
K't   by  bit,  however    t^;  ■'"'■'""'' f'""  ^an  Francisco 

Wack  against  the  glo^ving^^       ,  "Vy'--"-  ^^-f  unnutes  i„ 

-    "-'-"^"nd,  merged  slowly  into 


Tin-:  CKi.ii   lAiuio. 


% 


tlic  sky  or  sunk  below  the  lioii/oii.  All  ufrew  dark.  Oiu- 
by  one,  as  the  trees  disappeared,  the  passeiiLjers  dioppid 
(jfT  I'ur  whibt  in  the  sal(K)M,  or  retired  to  the  uneasy  snli- 
ttidc  of  their  own  state-rooms.  At  last  only  two  or  three 
men  were  left  sinokini;  and  ehatling  near  the  tcp  of  the 
eoinpanion  ladder  ;  while  at  the  stern  of  the  shij)  Mniid 
I£lHs  looked  over  toward  the  retreatinpj  island,  .-md  t:iii>;( d 
with  a  certain  timid  maidenly  frankness  to  I'Vdix  'riMir<l;in. 
'J'here's  nowhere  on  earth  for  gettim:^  really  to  kn<iw  jmd- 
ple  in  a  very  short    time  like  the  deck  of  a  <;ieat  Allaiilie 


ir  Pacific  liner 


're  th 


nh 


il  all 


or  racinc  imcr.  \ou  re  tnrown  tot^etner  s<>  iniicii,  :inii  ai 
day  long-,  that  yoti  see  more  of  your  fellow-passnimMs'  in- 
ner life  and  nature  in  a  few  brief  weeks  than  you  would 
ever  be  likely  to  sec  in  a  Vtw^  twelvemonth  of  oi-diuary 
town  or  country  ae(iuaintanccshii).  iVnd  Muiicl  IJlis  had 
seen  a  great  deal  in  those  thirteen  days  of  Frlix  Thur^lan  ; 
cnouu:h  to  make  sure  in  her  (nvn  heart  that  ^lu;  reallv  liUed 
him — well — so  much  that  she  looked  up  with  a  pretty  blush 
of  self-consciousness  every  time  he  approached  and  lifted 
his  hat  to  her.  Muriel  was  an  ICni^lish  rector's  daughter, 
from  a  country  village  in  Somersetshire  ;  and  she  was  now 
on  her  way  back  from  a  long  year's  visit,  to  recruit  her 
health,  to  an  aunt  in  Paramatta.  She  was  travelling  under 
the  escort  of  an  amiable  old  chaperon  whom  the  aunt  in 
question  had  picked  up  fcjr  her  before  leaving  Sydney  ; 
but,  as  the  amiable  old  chaperon,  being  but  an  indifferent 
sailor,  spent  most  of  her  time  in  her  own  berth,  closely  at- 
tended by  the  obliging  stewardess,  ^luriel  had  found  her 
chaperonagc  interfere  very  little  with  opportunities  of  talk 
with  that  nice  Mr.  Thurstan.  And  now,  as  the  last  glow  of 
sunset  died  out  in  the  western  skv,  and  the  last  palm-tree 
faded  awav  acrainst  the  colder  oreen  darkness  of  the  tro|> 
ical  ni£;ht,  Muriel  was  leaning  over  the  bulwarks  in  ct)n- 
fidential  mood,  and  watching  the  big  waves  advance  or  re- 
cede, and  talking  the  sort  of  talk  th.nt  such  an  hour  seems 
to  fav(jr  with  the  h.andsoini;  youuL-  civil  scrvruU  who  stood 
on  guanl,  as  it  were,  beside  her.     For  Felix  Thurstan  held 


THE    GKl.A'r  TAIIOO. 


% 


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1 


a  guveinmcnt  appoiuLinciU  ut  I.cvuka,  in  Fiji,  and  was 
now  on  his  way  lionic,  on  leave  of  absence  alicr  six  years' 
service  in  that  new-made  colony. 

"ll(jw  deligiitfid  it  would  be  to  live  on  an  island  like 
that  !"  Muriel  murnuired,  half  to  herself,  as  she  gazed  out 
wistfully  in  tlie  directiun  of  the  disapi)earing  coral  reef. 
"With  those  beautiful  pahns  waving  always  over  one's 
head,  and  that  delicious  evening  air  blowing  cool  through 
their  branches  !     It  looks  such  a  Paradise  !  " 

Felix  smiled  and  glanced  down  at  her,  as  he  steadied 
liimself  with  one  hand  against  the  bulwark,  while  the  ship 
rolled  over  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  heavily.  "  Well,  I 
don't  know  about  that,  Miss  Fllis,"  he  answered  with  a 
doubtfid  air,  eying  her  close  as  ho  ?p<jke  with  eyes  of 
evident  admiration.  "One  might  be  happy  anywhere,  of 
course — in  suitable  society  ;  but  if  you'd  lived  as  long 
among  cocoanuts  in  Fiji  as  I  have,  I  dare  say  the  poetry 
of  these  calm  palm-grove  islands  would  be  a  little  less 
real  to  you.  Remember,  though  they  look  so  beautiful 
and  dreamy  against  the  sky  like  that,  at  sunset  especially 
(that  was  a  heavy  one,  that  time  ;  I'm  really  afraid  we 
must  ^^o  down  to  tlic  cabin  scjon  ;  she'll  be  shipping  seas 
before  long  if  we  stop  on  deck  much  later — and  yet,  it's  so 
deliglitful  stopping  up  here  till  the  dusk  comes  on,  isn't 
it  ?) — well,  remember,  I  was  saying,  though  they  look  so 
beautiful  and  dreamy  and  poetical — *  Simimcr  isles  of 
Eden  lying  in  dark  purple  spheres  of  sea,'  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing — these  islands  arc  inhabited  by  the  fiercest 
and  most  bloodthirsty  cannibals  known  to  travellers." 

"  Cannibals  !  "  Muriel  repeated,  looking  up  at  him  in 
surprise.  "You  don't  mean  to  say  that  islands  like  these, 
standing  right  in  the  very  track  of  Eiu'opcan  steamers,  are 
still  heathen  and  cannibal  ?" 

"  Oh,  dear,  yes,"  Felix  replied,  holding  his  hand  out  as 
he  spoke  to  catch  his  companion's  arm  gently,  and  steady 
her  against  the  wave  that  w:is  just  going  to  strike  the 
Stern  :  "  Excuse   me  ;  just   go  ;  the  sea's  rising  fast,  isn't 


711 E   CRi-.Al'  IWliOO, 


5 


n't 


it  ? — Oh,  dear,  yes  ;  of  course  they  ure  ;  they're  all  heathen 
and  cannibals.  Voii  couldn't  imagine  to  yourself  the  hor- 
rible bloodthirsty  rites  that  may  this  very  minute  be  tak- 
ing place  upon  that  idyllic-looking  island,  under  the  soft 
waving  branches  of  those  whispering  p;dm-trees.  Why,  I 
knew  a  man  in  the  Marquesas  myself — a  hiileous  old  na- 
tive, as  ugly  as  you  can  fancy  him — who  was  snppcjst-d  ti^ 
be  a  god,  an  incarnate  god,  and  was  worshipped  accord- 
ingly with  profound  devotion  by  all  the  other  inlanders. 
You  can't  picture  to  yourself  lit  v;  awful  their  worship  was. 
I  daren't  even  repeat  it  to  you  ;  it  was  too,  too  horrible. 
lie  lived  in  a  luit  by  liimself  among  the  deepest  forest, 
and  human  victims  used  to  be  brought — well,  there,  it's 
loo  loathsome!  Why,  see  ;  there's  a  great  light  on  the 
i^ihuul  now  ;  a  big  bonfire  or  something  ;  don't  you  make 
it  out  ?  You  can  tell  it  by  the  red  glare  in  the  sky  over- 
head." He  paused  a  moment  ;  then  he  added  more 
slowly,  **  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  at  this  very  moment, 
while  we're  standing  here  in  such  perfect  security  on  the 
deck  of  a  Christian  English  vessel,  some  unspeakable  and 
unthinkable  heathen  orgy  mayn't  be  going  on  over  there 
beside  that  sacrificial  fire  ;  and  if  some  poor  trembling  na- 
tive girl  isn't  being  led  just  now,  with  b^.ows  and  curses 
and  awful  savage  ceremonies,  her  liands  bound  behind 
lier  back Oh,  look  out.  Miss  Ellis  !  " 

He  was  only  just  in  time  to  utter  the  warning  words. 
He  was  only  just  in  time  to  put  one  hand  on  cacli  side  (jf 
lier  slender  waist,  and  hold  her  tight  so,  when  the  big 
wave  which  he  saw  coming  struck  full  tilt  against  the  ves- 
sel's flank,  and  broke  in  one  white  drenching  sheet  of 
foam  against  her  stern  and  quarter-deck. 

The  suddenness  of  the  assault  to(jk  Felix's  breath  away. 
For  the  first  few  seconds  he  was  only  aware  that  a  heavy 
sea  had  been  shipped,  and  had  wet  him  througli  and 
through  with  its  unexpected  deluge.  A  moment  later,  he 
was  dimly  conscious  that  his  coni{)anion  had  slipped  from 
his  grasp,  and  was  nowhere  visible.     The  violence  of  the 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


sliock,  and  the  slimy  naiiii  c  of  the;  sea  water,  had  made 
him  relax  iiis  liuld  wiLliuut  knowing  it,  in  the  tumult  of 
the  mon^.cnt,  and  had  at  the  same  time  caused  Muriel  to 
glide  impcrcepiibly  througii  his  lingers,  as  he  had  often 
kncjwn  an  ill  caught  cricket-bull  do  in  his  school-days. 
Then  he  saw  he  was  on  his  hands  and  knees  on  the  deck. 
The  wave  had  knocked  him  down,  and  dashed  him  against 
the  bulwark  on  the  leeward  side.  As  he  picked  himself 
up,  wet,  bruised,  and  shaken,  he  looked  about  for  ]Muriel. 
A  terrible  dread  seized  upon  his  soul  at  once.  Impossi- 
ble !  Impossible  !  she  couldn't  have  been  washed  over- 
board ! 

And  even  as  he  gazed  about,  and  held  his  bruised  elbow 
in  his  hand,  and  wondered  to  himself  what  it  could  all 
mean,  that  sudden  loud  cry  arose  beside  him  from  the 
quarter-deck,  "  Man  overboard  !  Man  overboard  !  "  f(^l- 
lowed  a  moment  later  by  the  answering  cry,  from  the  men 
who  were  omoking  imder  the  lee  of  the  companicjn,  *'  A 
lady  !  a  lady  !     It's  Miss  Ellis  !  Miss  Ellis  !  " 

lie  didn't  take  it  all  in.  He  didn't  rellect.  lie  didn't 
even  know  he  was  actually  doing  i..  But  he  did  it,  all  the 
same,  with  the  simple,  straightforward,  instinctive  sense  (jf 
duty  which  makes  civilized  man  act  aright,  all  uncon- 
sciously, in  any  moment  of  supreme  danger  and  diHiculty. 
Leaping  on  to  the  taffrail  without  one  instant's  delay,  and 
steadying  himself  for  an  indivisible  fraction  of  time  with 
liis  hand  on  the  rope  ladder,  he  peered  o'.it  into  the  dark- 
ness with  keen  eyes  for  a  glimpse  of  Muriel  Ellis's  head 
above  tlie  fierce  black  w;'ter  ;  and  espying  it  for  one  second, 
as  slic  came  up  on  a  white  crest,  he  plunged  in  bcfc^re  the 
vessel  had  time  to  roll  back  to  windward,  and  struck  bold- 
ly out  in  the  direction  where  he  saw  that  helpless  object 
dashed  about  like  a  cork  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean. 

Only  those  who  have  known  such  accidents  at  sea  can 
possibly  picture  to  themselves  the  instantaneous  haste  with 
which  all  that  followed  took  place  upon  that  bustling 
quarter-deck.  Almost  at  the  first  cry  of  "  Man  overboard  ! " 


TJIli   (IKEAT   fABOO. 


the  captain's  bell  rang  sharp  and  quick,  as  if  by  magic, 
with  three  peremptory  little  calls  in  the  engine-room  below. 
The  Australasian  was  going  at  full  speed,  but  in  a  marvel- 
lously short  time,  as  it  seemed  to  all  on  board,  the  great 
ship  had  slowed  down  to  a  perfect  standstill,  and  then  had 
reversed  her  engines,  so  that  she  lay,  just  nose  to  the  wind, 
awaiting  further  orders.  In  the  meantime,  almost  as  soon 
as  the  words  were  out  of  the  bo'sun's  lips,  a  sailor  amid- 
ships had  rushed  to  the  safety  belts  hung  up  by  the  com- 
panion ladder,  and  had  Hung  half  a  dozen  of  them,  one 
after  another,  with  hasty  but  well-aimed  throws,  far,  far 
astern,  in  the  direction  where  Felix  had  disappeared  into 
the  black  water.  The  belts  were  painted  white,  and  they 
showed  for  a  few  seconds,  as  they  fell,  like  bright  specks 
on  the  surface  of  the  darkling  sea  ;  then  they  sunk  slowly 
behind  as  the  big  ship,  still  not  quite  stopped,  ploughed 
her  way  ahead  with  gigantic  force  into  the  great  abyss  of 
darkness  in  front  of  her. 

It  seemed  but  a  minute,  too,  to  the  watchers  on  board, 
before  a  party  of  sailors,  summoned  by  the  whistle  with 
that  marvellous  readiness  to  meet  any  emergency  which 
long  experience  of  sudden  danger  has  rendered  habitual 
among  seafaring  men,  had  lowered  the  boat,  and  taken 
their  seats  on  the  thwarts,  and  seized  their  oars,  and  were 
getting  under  way  on  their  hopeless  quest  of  searcli, 
through  the  dim  black  night,  for  those  two  belated  souls 
alone  in  the  midst  of  the  angry  Pacific. 

It  seemed  but  a  minute  or  two,  I  say,  to  the  watchers 
on  board  ;  but  oh,  what  an  eternity  of  time  to  Felix  Thur- 
stan,  struggling  there  with  his  live  burden  in  the  seething 
water ! 

He  had  dashed  into  the  ocean,  which  was  dark,  but 
warm  with  tropical  heat,  and  had  succeeded,  in  spite  of 
the  heavy  seas  then  running,  in  reaching  Muriel,  who 
clung  to  him  now  witli  all  the  fierce  clinging  of  despair, 
and  impeded  his  movement  through  that  swirling  water. 
More  than  that,  he  saw  tlie  white  life-belts  that  the  sail- 


8 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


i 
1 

% 
U 

al 
n$ 
ve 

h' 
da 

Wll 

qua 


ors  flung  toward  him  ;  they  were  well  and  aptly  flung,  in 
the  inspiiaLion  of  the  moment,  to  allow  for  the  sea  itself 
carrying  them  on  tlie  crest  of  its  waves  toward  the  two 
drowning  creatures.  Felix  saw  them  distinctly,  and  mak- 
ing a  great  lunge  as  they  passed,  in  spite  of  Muriel's 
struggles,  which  sadly  hampered  his  movements,  he  man- 
acred  to  clutch  at  no  less  than  three  before  the  srreat  bil- 
low,  rulling  on,  carried  them  off  on  its  top  forever  away 
from  him.  Two  of  these  he  slipped  hastily  over  Muriel's 
shoulders  ;  the  otlier  he  put,  as  best  he  might,  round  his 
own  waist  ;  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  still  clinging  close 
to  his  companion's  arm,  and  buffeted  about  wildly  by  that 
running  sea,  he  was  able  to  look  about  liim  in  alarm  for  a 
moment,  and  realize  more  or  less  what  had  actually  hap- 
pened. 

By  this  time  the  Australasian  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away  in  front  of  them,  and  her  lights  were  beginning  to 
become  stationary  as  she  slowly  slowed  and  reversed  i 
engines.  Then,  from  the  summit  of  a  great  wave,  Felix  ' 
was  dimly  aware  of  a  boat  being  lowered — for  he  saw  a 
separate  light  gleaming  across  the  sea — a  search  was 
being  made  in  the  black  night,  alas,  how  hopelessly ! 
The  light  hovered  about  for  many,  many  minutes,  re- 
vealed to  him  now  here,  now  there,  searching  in  vain  to 
find  him,  as  wave  after  wave  raised  him  time  and  again  on 
its  irresistible  summit.  The  men  in  the  boat  were  doing 
their  best,  no  doubt ;  but  what  chance  of  finding  anyone 
on  a  dark  night  like  that,  in  an  angry  sea,  and  with  nc 
clue  to  guide  them  toward  the  two  struggling  castaways 
Current  and  wind  had  things  all  their  own  way.  As  r 
matter  of  fact,  the  light  never  came  near  the  castaways  a 
all  ;  and  after  half  an  hour's  ineffectual  search,  whicl 
seemed  to  Felix  a  wliole  long  lifetime,  it  returned  slowl} 
toward  tlic  stonmcr  from  which  it  came — and  left  those 
two  alone  on  llie  dnrk  Pncifir. 

"  Thoro  \v;v;'!'i    r  cli.-.nro  of   picking  'em   up,"  the  cap 
tain  said,  with  pliiloscphic  calm,  as  the  men  clambere 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


aptly  flung,  in 
the  sea  itself 
)ward  the  two 
ctly,  and  mak- 
te  of  Muriel's 
ncnts,  he  man- 
;  the  great  bil- 
p  forever  away 
y  over  Muriel's 
icrht,  round  his 
1  clinging  close 
t  wildly  by  that 
n  in  alarm  for  a 
id  actually  hap- 

larter  of  a  mile 
re  beginning  to 
pd  and  reversed 
reat  wave,  Felix 
.(J — for  he  saw  a 
a— a  search  was 
low  hopelessly ! 
ny  minutes,  re- 
:hing  in  vain  to 
me  and  again  on 
boat  were  doing 
finding  any  one 
sea,  and  with  nc 
crlins:  castaways 
own  way.     As  f 
the  castaw^ays  a 
al  search,  whicl 
returned  slovvh 
—and  left  those 

Mil  up,"  the  cap 
;  men  clambere 


on  board  again,  and  tlie  Australasian  got  under  way  once 
more  for  the  port  of  Honolulu.  "I  knew  there  wasn't  a 
chance  ;  but  in  common  humanity  one  was  bound  to 
make  some  show  of  trying  to  save  'em.  He  was  a  brave 
fellow  to  go  after  her,  though  it  was  no  good  of  course. 
He  couldn't  even  find  lier,  at  night,  and  with  such  a  sea 
as  that  running." 

And  even  as  he  spoke,  Felix  Thurstan,  rising  once  more 
on  the  crest  of  a  much  smaller  l)illow — for  somehow  the 
waves  were  getting  incredibly  smaller  as  he  drifted  on  to 
Icoward — felt  his  heart  sink  within  him  as  he  observed  to 
his  dismay  that  the  Australasian  must  be  steaming  ahead 
once  more,  by  the  movement  of  her  lights,  and  tliat  they  two 
were  indeed  abandoned  to  their  fate  on  the  open  surface  of 
that  vast  and  trackless  ocean. 


CHAPTER   n. 


THE   TEMPLE    OF   THE   DEITY. 


While  these  things  were  happening  on  the  sea  close  by, 

la  very  different  scene  indeed  was  being  enacted   mean- 

[while,    beneath   those    waving   palms,    on   the    island   of 

>oupari.     It  was  strange,  to  be  sure,  as   Felix  Thurstan 

lad  said,  that  such  unspeakable  heathen  orgies  should  be 

taking  place  within  sight  of  a  passing  Christian  English 

steamer.     But  if  only  he  had  known  or  reflected  to  what 

fort  of  land  he  was  trying  now  to  struggle  ashore  with 

^luriel,  he  might  well  have  doubted  whether  it  were  not 

better  to  let  her  perish  where  she  was,  in  tlie  pure  clear 

[cean,  rather  than  to  submit  an  English  girl  to  the  possi- 

jility  of  undergoing  such  horrible  heathen  rites  and  cere- 

lonies. 

For  on  the  island  of  P  )'inari  it  was  high  feast  with  the 

[(^-shippers  of  their  god  that  night.     The  sun  had  turned 

t^  .  Tropic  of  Capricorn  at  noon,  and  was  making  his 


lo 


^^^^   ^^^^^T  TAB 00, 


way  northward   towir^  .1 

''onor  in  due  season,  and  op.!!'  :^°'"^  f°«''  '°  do  him 
most  and  sacredest  grove  on*^,?  7  ''"P^"^.  i"  ti,e  in- 
represeneative,  the  llvin.:  "i  ^'f  T"'  '°  '"=  ""^-"--"e 
vegetation,  the  very  l>igh  god     ,.  °^-  ''■"''  ''"^  ^''""•^  and 

Early  in  the  evening  as  sol        .'""'  ^^-Kila-Kila! 
peared  beneath  the  ocln  Tl      '^'  '""''  ""^  ''"d  disan. 
t--om  the  central  shrhL  of'  L    *'"'?'"  "°''^'^  ■^'^-'""d  f°  '5. 
c  apped  their  hands  to  thJi.'^eTa""'',  ^"°"  "■""  ''-•''   ^ 
I   vvas  a  noise  li|,e  distant  rumb,r      ?"  ''"''^"'•V  forward. 
of  some  great  English  ,til    oT  fo  '^  "'""''•^'■'  °'-  ">«  whir 
•^very  ,voman  on  the  island   T       T^  '  '"'"^  •'''  «=  sound 
P'-ostrate,  with  her  faceT,?  H,   ?''  ''""^'^'^  °"  "'«  ground 
--%  till  the  audible    oit  o;':,'  """  "■'""^^  "--  -"- 
-'bs.ded.     For  no  woma  ,  I'evv  1  o     ^f  "•'"'  """'  --e 
duced.     Only  the  grown  nJ  "^  "'''"  =°"nd  was  pro- 

of t-e  =>^Hne'when^th ;"c  :  :' '"r-^'^^  '"'^  "-  myster  es 
mony,  were  aware  that  thlT      ^  ^'  '■"  ""=  'attooing  cere 
was  nothing  more  or  L     tl       "f '  ''"^""^'  ^-'"rrinlnoTe 

A  bull-roarer,   as  n"  ;' e" ''°  "^  "^ '"«  ^ull-roarer 
-erely  a  piece  of  oblon"  wood^^n  '   '!^"°"^°>'^  '^"°w.   is 
^;f-ed  by  a  leather  thon"  'ar'n    '  •""  "*^^  «""'  -d 
Whirled  round  the  head  by  pr.ctL  H      ■°'""'-    ^"'  when 
d"ces  a  low  rumbling  nleTk'  th  P"r"^''-"ds,  it  pro- 

carnage,  growing  gr.aduanyi  '^' j''''''  of  a  disLt 
■nent  to  moment,  till  ^tllnilT       '"^  '^'"'''  ^'om  mo- 

^';'   o--   bursts   into  prtt  ;",?%""'' "'°  ■'' ^^'^'''f"' 
Then  ,t  decreases  again  onclmn  """'''"°"   "sunder, 

becoming  fainter  and  ever  fl^''  ?m  ^''•'""''"■^  '"'^  ''  rose, 
cedes,  till  the  horrible  blilo^S  .  !;' 't  "'"'"^"  ^^  ''  re- 
d,esaway  in  the  end,  by  Zyl"  °^  ^"P«™--«"ral  bulls, 
and  imperceptible  m;rmurs       ^''"'''  '"'°  '°^  «"d  sof^ 

BM  when  the  savage  heirs  tl,„  ^• 
bull-roarer,  at  n-hatevi  d  s^''  ,    f "'  ''""""""^  °'  'be 
enes  of  his  god  are  in  fui     '"    '  '"  'i""'^'  "'at  the  mys- 
'«  haste,  leaving  his  w^J  ^  ',1  ■;';    '"'  ""--  ^o-v-d 

his  pleasure,  and  running, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


II 


and  his 
I  do  him 
I  the  in- 
icarnate 
Liits  and 
Kila! 
d  disap- 
;d  forth 
icard  it 
or  ward, 
he  whir 
s  sound 
ground 
3  re  rev- 
e  more 
'^as  pro- 
rsteries 
g  cere- 
g  noise 
arer. 
ovv,    is 
d,  and 

when 
pro- 
is  tan  t 
■1  mo- 

htful 

nder. 

rose, 

t  re- 

ulls, 
soft 


the 

lys- 

lard 


naked  as  lie  stands,  to  take  his  share  in  the  worship,  lest 
the  anger  of  heaven  should  burst  forth  in  devouring 
flames  to  consume  him.  But  the  women,  knowing  them- 
selves unwortliy  to  face  the  dread  presence  of  the  high 
god  in  liis  wratii,  rush  wildly  from  the  spot,  and,  flinging 
tiiemselves  down  at  full  length,  with  their  mouths  to  the 
dust,  wait  patiently  till  the  voice  of  their  deity  is  no 
longer  audible. 

And  as  the  bull-roarer  on  Boupari  rang  out  with  wild 
echoes  from  the  coral  caverns  in  the  central  grove  that 
evening,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  their  god,  rose  slowly  from  his 
place,  and  stood  out  from  his  hut,  a  deity  revealed,  before 
his  reverential  worshippers. 

As  he  rose,  a  hushed  whisper  ran  wave-like  through  the 
dense  throng  of  dusky  forms  tliat  bent  low,  like  corn  be- 
neath the  wind,  before  him,  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  rises  !  He  rises 
to  speak  !     Hush  !  fur  the  voice  of  the  mighty  man-god  !  " 

The  god,  looking  around  him  superciliously  with  a 
cynical  air  of  contempt,  stood  forward  with  a  firm  and 
elastic  step  before  his  silent  worshippers.  He  was  a  stal- 
wart savage,  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  tall,  lithe,  and 
active.  His  figure  was  that  of  a  man  well  used  to  com- 
mand ;  but  his  face,  though  handsome,  was  visibly  marked 
by  every  external  sign  of  cruelty,  lust,  and  extreme  blood- 
thirstiness.  One  miglit  have  said,  merely  to  look  at  him, 
he  was  a  being  debased  by  all  forms  of  brutal  and  hateful 
self-indulgence.  A  baleful  light  burned  in  his  keen  gray 
eyes.     His  lips  were  thick,  full,  purple,  and  wistful. 

"My  people  may  look  upon  me,"  he  said,  in  a  strangely 
affable  voice,  standing  forward  and  smiling  with  a  curious 
half-cruel,  half-compassionate  smile  upon  his  awe-struck 
followers.  "  On  every  day  of  the  sun's  course  but  this, 
none  save  the  ministers  dedicated  to  the  service  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  dare  gaze  unhurt  upon  his  sacred  person.  If 
any  other  did,  the  liglit  from  his  holy  eyes  would  wither 
them  up,  and  the  glow  of  his  glorious  countenance  would 
scorch  them  to  ashes."     He  raised  his  two  hands,  pain) 


12 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


\ 


outward,  in  front  of  him.  "  So  all  the  year  round,"  he 
went  on,  "Tu-Kila-Kila,  who  loves  his  people,  and  sends 
them  the  earlier  and  the  later  rain  in  the  wet  season,  and 
makes  their  yams  and  tlieir  taro  grow,  and  causes  his  sun 
to  shine  upon  them  freely — all  the  year  round  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  your  god,  sits  shut  up  in  his  own  house  among  the 
skeletons  of  those  whom  he  has  killed  and  eaten,  or  walks 
in  his  walled  paddock,  where  his  bread-fruit  ripens  and 
his  plantains  spring — himself,  and  the  ministers  that  his 
tribesmen  have  given  him." 

At  the  sound  of  their  mystic  deity's  voice  the  savages, 
bending  lower  still  till  their  foreheads  touched  the  ground, 
repeated  in  chorus,  to  the  clapping  of  hands,  like  some 
solemn  litany:  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks  true.  Our  lord  is 
merciful.  He  sends  down  his  showers  upon  our  crops 
and  fields.  He  causes  his  sun  to  shine  brightly  over  us. 
He  makes  our  pigs  and  our  slaves  bring  forth  their  in- 
crease.    Tu-Kila-Kila  is  good.     His  people  praise  him." 

The  god  took  another  step  forward,  the  divine  mantle 
of  red  feathers  glowing  in  the  sunset  on  his  dusky  shoul- 
ders, and  smiled  once  more  that  hateful  gracious  smile  of 
his.  He  was  standing  near  the  open  door  of  his  wattled 
hut,  overshadowed  by  the  huge  spreading  arms  of  a  gigan- 
tic banyan-tree.  Through  the  open  door  of  the  hut  it  was 
possible  to  catch  just  a  passing  glimpse  of  an  awful  sight 
within.  On  the  beams  of  the  house,  and  on  the  boughs 
of  the  trees  behind  it,  human  skeletons,  half  covered  with 
dry  flesh,  hung  in  ghastly  array,  their  skulls  turned  down- 
ward. They  were  the  skeletons  of  the  victims  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  their  prince,  had  slain  and  eaten  ;  they  were  the  tro- 
phies of  the  cannibal  man-god's  hateful  prowess. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  raised  his  right  hand  erect  and  spoke 
again.  "  I  am  a  great  god,"  he  said,  slowly.  "I  am  very 
powerful.  I  make  the  s..n  to  shine,  and  the  yams  to 
grow.  I  am  the  spirit  of  plants.  Without  me  there 
would  be  notliing  for  you  all  to  eat  or  drink  :n  Boupari. 
If  I  were  to  grow  old  and  die,  tlie  sun  would  fade  away  in 


I 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


13 


"Aj 


sight 


spoke 
very- 
US  to 
there 
ipari. 
ay  in 


the  heavens  overhead  ;  the  bread-fruit  trees  would  wither 
and  cease  to  bear  on  earth  ;  all  fruits  would  come  to  an 
end  and  die  at  once  ;  all  rivers  would  stop  forthwith  from 
running." 

His  worsliippers  bowed  down  in  acquiescence  with  awe- 
struck faces.  "  It  is  true,"  they  answered,  in  the  same 
slow  sing-song  of  assent  as  before.  '*  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  the 
greatest  of  gods.  We  owe  to  him  everything.  We  hang 
upon  his  favor." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  started  back,  laughed,  and  showed  his 
pearly  white  teeth.  They  were  beautiful  and  regular, 
like  the  teeth  of  a  tiger,  a  strong  young  tiger.  "  But  I 
need  more  sacrifices  than  all  the  other  gods,"  he  went  on, 
melodiously,  like  one  who  plays  with  consummate  skill 
upon  some  difficult  instrument.  "  I  am  greedy  ;  I  am 
thirsty  ;  I  am  a  hungry  god.  You  must  not  stint  me.  I 
claim  more  human  victims  than  all  the  other  gods  beside. 
If  you  want  your  crops  to  grow,  and  your  rivers  to  run, 
tne  fields  to  yield  you  game,  and  the  sea  fish — this  is  what 
I  ask  :  give  me  victims,  victims !  That  is  our  compact. 
Tu-Kila-Kila  calls  you." 

The  men  bowed  down  once  more  and  repeated  humbly, 
*'  You  shall  have  victims  as  you  will,  great  god  ;  only  give 
us  yam  and  taro  and  bread-fruit,  and  cause  not  your  bright 
light,  the  sun,  to  grow  dark  in  heaven  over  us." 

*'  Cut  yourselves,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  cried,  in  a  peremptory 
voice,  clapping  his  hands  thrice.  "  I  am  thirsting  for 
blood.     I  want  your  free-will  offering." 

As  he  spoke,  every  man,  as  by  a  set  ritual,  took  from  a 
little  skin  wallet  at  his  side  a  sharp  flake  of  coral-stone, 
and,  drawing  it  deliberately  across  his  breast  in  a  deep  red 
gash,  caused  the  blood  to  flow  out  freely  over  his  chest 
and  long  grass  waistband.  Then,  having  done  so,  they 
never  strove  for  a  moment  to  stanch  the  wound,  but  let 
the  red  drops  fall  as  they  would  on  to  the  dust  at  their 
feet,  without  seeming  even  to  be  conscious  at  all  of  the 
fact  that  they  were  flowing. 


mm 


14 


yy/A    CREAT  TABOO, 


\  i  i 


^1! 


,  i 


Tu-Kila-Kila  smiled  once  more,  a  ghastly  self-satisfied 
smile  of  unquestioned  power.  *'  It  is  well,"  he  went  on. 
"  My  people  love  me.  They  know  my  strength,  iiow  I  can 
wither  them  up.  They  give  me  their  blood  to  drink  free- 
ly. So  I  will  be  merciful  to  them.  I  will  make  my  sun 
siiine  and  my  rain  drop  from  heaven.  And  instead  of 
taking  <///,  I  will  choose  one  victim."  He  paused,  and 
glanced  along  their  line  significantly. 

"Choose,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  the  men  answered,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation.  *'We  are  all  your  meat.  Choose 
whicli  one  you  will  take  of  us." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  walked  with  a  leisurely  tread  down  the 
lines  and  surveyed  the  men  critically.  They  were  all 
drawn  up  in  rows,  one  behind  the  other,  according  to 
tribes  and  families  ;  and  the  god  walked  along  each  row, 
examining  them  with  a  curious  and  interested  eye,  as  a 
farmer  examines  sheep  fit  for  the  market.  Now  and  then, 
he  felt  a  leg  or  an  arm  with  his  finger  and  thumb,  and 
hesitated  a  second.  It  was  an  important  matter,  this 
choosing  a  victim.  As  he  passed,  a  close  observer  might 
have  noted  that  each  man  trembled  visibly  while  the  god's 
eye  was  upon  him,  and  looked  after  him  askance  with  a 
terrified  sidelong  gaze  as  he  passed  on  to  his  neighbor. 
But  not  one  savage  gave  any  overt  sign  or  token  of  his  ter- 
ror or  his  reluctance.  On  the  contrary,  as  Tu-Kila-Kila 
passed  along  the  line  with  lazy,  cruel  deliberateness,  the 
men  kept  chanting  aloud  without  one  tremor  in  their 
voices,  "  We  are  all  your  meat.  Choose  which  one  you 
will  take  of  us." 

On  a  sudden,  Tu-Kila-Kila  turned  sharply  round,  and, 
darting  a  rapid  glance  toward  a  row  he  had  already  passed 
several  minutes  before,  he  exclaimed,  with  an  air  of  unex- 
pected inspiration,  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  chosen.  He  takes 
Maloa." 

The  man  upon  whose  shoulder  the  god  laid  his  heavy 
hand  as  he  spoke  stood  forth  from  the  crowd  without  a 
moment's  hesitation.     If  anger  or  fear  was  in  his  heart  at 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


IS 


-satisfied 
went  on. 
o\v  I  can 
ink  free- 
niy  sun 
stead  of 
sed,  and 

itlioLit  a 
Choose 

jwn  the 
vcre  all 
rding  to 
ich  row, 
ye,  as  a 
nd  then, 
mb,  and 
:er,  this 
;r  mijjht 
le  god's 

with  a 
ighuor. 

his  tcr- 
ila-Kila 
ess,  the 
n  their 
ne  you 

id,  and, 

passed 

f  unex- 

;  takes 

>  heavy 
hout  a 
eart  at 


all,  it  could  not  be  detected  in  his  voice  or  his  features. 
He  bowed  his  head  with  seeming  satisfaction,  and  an- 
swered humbly,  "  What  Tu-Kila-Kila  says  must  need  be 
done.  This  is  a  great  honor.  He  is  a  mighty  god.  We 
poor  men  must  obey  him.  We  are  proud  to  be  taken  up 
and  made  one  with  divinity." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  raised  in  his  hand  a  large  stone  axe  of  some 
polished  green  material,  closely  resembling  jade,  which  lay 
on  a  block  by  the  door,  and  tried  its  edge  with  his  finger,  in 
an  abstracted  manner.  "  Bind  him  !  "  he  said,  quietly,  turn- 
ing round  to  his  votaries.  And  tlie  men,  each  glad  to  have 
escaped  his  own  fate,  bound  their  comrade  willingly  wiih 
green  ropes  of  plantain  fibre. 

"Crown  him  with  flowers  !"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said  ;  and  a 
female  attendant,  absolved  from  the  terror  of  the  bull- 
roarer  by  the  god's  command,  brought  forward  a  great 
garland  of  crimson  hibiscus,  which  she  flung  around  the 
victim's  neck  and  shoulders. 

"  Lay  his  head  on  the  sacred  stone  block  of  our  fathers,** 
Tu-Kila-Kila  went  on,  in  an  easy  tone  of  command,  wav- 
ing his  hand  gracefully.  And  the  men,  moving  forward, 
laid  their  comrade,  face  downward,  on  a  huge  flat  block  of 
polished  greenstone,  which  lay  like  an  altar  in  front  of  the 
hut  with  the  mouldering  skeletons. 

"  It  is  well,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  murmured  once  more,  half 
aloud.  •*  You  have  given  me  the  free-will  offering.  Now 
for  the  tresspass  !  Where  is  the  woman  who  dared  to  ap- 
proach too  near  the  temple-home  of  the  divine  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  ?     Brino:  the  criminal  forward  !  " 

The  men  divided,  and  made  a  lane  down  their  middle. 
Then  one  of  them,  a  minister  of  the  man-god's  shrine,  led 
up  by  the  hand,  all  trembling  and  shrinking  with  super- 
natural terror  in  every  muscle,  a  well-formed  young  girl 
of  eighteen  or  twenty.  Her  naked  bronze  limbs  were 
shapely  and  lissome  ;  but  her  eyes  were  swollen  and  red 
with  tears,  and  her  face  strongly  distorted  with  awe  for 
the  man-god.     When  she  stood  at  last  before  Tu-Kila- 


1  '•■ 


i6 


THE   GREAT  TAB 00, 


'     k 


Kiln's  dreaded  face,  she  Hung  liersclf  on  the  ground  in  an 
agony  of  fear. 

**  Oil,  mercy,  great  God!"  she  cried,  in  a  feeble  voice. 
"  I  have  sinned,  I  have  sinned.     Mercy,  mercy!" 

Tu-Kila-Kiia  smiled  as  before,  a  smile  of  imperial  pride. 
No  ray  of  pity  gleamed  from  those  steel-gray  eyes. 
"Does  Tu-Kila-Kila  show  mercy  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  mock- 
ing voice.  "Does  he  pardon  his  suppliants?  Does  he 
forgive  trespasses  ?  Is  he  not  a  god,  and  must  not  his 
wrath  be  appeased  ?  She,  being  a  woman,  and  not  a  wife 
sealed  to  Tu-Kila-Kila,  has  dared  to  look  from  afar  upon 
his  sacred  home.  She  has  spied  the  mysteries.  There- 
fore she  must  die.     My  people,  bind  her." 

In  a  second,  without  more  ado,  while  the  poor  trembling 
girl  writhed  and  groaned  in  her  agony  before  their  eyes, 
that  mob  of  wild  savages,  let  loose  to  torture  and  slay,  fell 
upon  her  with  hideous  shouts,  and  bound  her,  as  they  had 
bound  their  comrade  before,  with  coarse  native  ropes  of 
twisted  plantain  fibre. 

"  Lay  her  head  on  the  stone,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  grimly. 
And  his  votaries  obeyed  him. 

"  Now  light  the  sacred  fire  to  make  our  feast,  before  I 
slay  the  victims,"  the  god  said,  in  a  gloating  voice,  running 
his  finger  again  along  the  edge  of  his  huge  hatchet. 

As  he  spoke,  two  men,  holding  in  their  hands  hollow 
bamboos  with  coals  of  fire  concealed  within,  which  they 
kept  aglow  meanwhile  by  waving  them  up  and  down  rap- 
idly in  the  air,  laid  these  primitive  matches  to  the  base  of 
a  great  pyramidal  pile  of  wood  and  palm-leaves,  ready  pre- 
pared beforehand  in  the  yard  of  the  temple.  In  a  second, 
the  dry  fuel,  catching  the  sparks  instantly,  blazed  up  to 
heaven  with  a  wild  outburst  of  flame.  Great  red  tongues 
of  fire  licked  up  the  mouldering  mass  of  leaves  and  twigs, 
and  caught  at  once  at  the  trunks  of  palm  and  li  wood 
within.  A  huge  conflagration  reddened  the  sky  at  once 
like  lightning.  The  effect  was  magical.  The  glow  trans- 
figured the  whole  island  for  miles.     It  was,  in  fact,  the 


i 


THE   GREAl'   7\lliOO. 


17 


blaze  that  Felix  TImrstan  hud  noted  and  remarked  upon 
as  lie  stood  that  evening  on  the  silent  deck  ol  the  Austra- 
lasian. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  gazed  at  it  with  horrid  childish  glee.  "A 
fine  fire!"  he  said,  gayly.  '*A  fire  worthy  of  a  god.  It 
will  serve  me  well.  Tu-Kila-Kila  will  have  a  good  oven 
to  roast  his  meal  in." 

Then  he  turned  toward  the  sea,  and  held  up  his  hand 
once  more  for  silence.  As  he  did  so,  an  answering  light 
upon  its  surface  attracted  his  eye  for  a  moment's  space. 
It  was  a  bright  red  light,  mixed  witii  white  and  green 
ones  ;  in  point  of  fact,  the  Australasian  was  passing.  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  pointed  toward  it  solemnly  with  his  plump, 
brown  fore-finger.  "  See,"  he  said,  drawing  himself  up  and 
looking  preternaturally  wise  ;  "your  god  is  great.  I  am 
sending  some  of  this  fire  across  the  sea  to  where  my  sun 
has  set,  to  aid  and  reinforce  it.  That  is  to  keep  up  the 
fire  of  the  sun,  lest  ever  at  any  time  it  should  fade  and 
fail  you.  While  Tu-Kila-Kila  lives  the  sun  will  burn 
bright.  If  Tu-Kila-Kila  were  to  die  it  would  be  night  for- 
ever." 

Ilis  votaries,  following  their  god's  fore-finger  as  it  point- 
ed, all  turned  to  look  in  the  direction  he  indicated  with 
blank  surprise  and  astonishment.  Such  a  sight  had  never 
met  their  eyes  before,  for  the  Australasian  was  the  very 
first  steamer  to  take  the  eastward  route,  through  the  dan- 
gerous and  tortuous  Boupari  Channel.  So  their  awe  and 
surprise  at  the  unwonted  sight  knew  no  bounds.  Fire  on 
the  ocean  !  Miraculous  light  on  the  waves  !  Their  god 
must,  indeed,  be  a  mighty  deity  if  he  could  send  flames 
like  that  careering  over  the  sea !  Surely  the  sun  was  safe 
in  the  hands  of  a  potentate  who  could  thus  visibly  rein- 
force it  with  red  light,  and  white  !  In  their  astonishment 
and  awe,  they  stood  with  their  long  hair  falling  down  over 
their  foreheads,  and  their  hands  held  up  to  their  eyes  that 
they  might  gaze  the  farther  across  the  dim,  dark  ocean. 
The  borrowed  light  of  their  bonfire  was  moving,  slowly 


t8 


THI'.    GRl.Al'   1.11)00. 


1,11. 
Ill 


r 


'ii 


!! 


'Ml 

1  i 
If 


I 


i  ' 


moving  over  the  watery  sea.  Fire  and  water  wore  mixing 
and  mingling  on  frieutlly  icrins.  Impossible  !  Incredi- 
ble !  Marvellous!  Miraculous!  They  prostrated  them- 
selves in  their  terror  at  Tu-Kila-Kila's  feet.  "Oh,  trreat 
god,"  they  cried,  in  awe-struck  tones,  "your  power  is  too 
vast !     Spare  us,  spare  us,  spare  us  !" 

As  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  he  was  not  astonished  at 
all.  Strange  as  it  sounds  to  us,  he  really  believed  in  his 
heart  what  lie  said.  Profoundly  convinced  of  his  own 
godhead,  and  abjectly  superstitious  as  any  of  his  own  vo- 
taries, he  absolutely  accepted  as  a  fact  his  own  suggestion, 
that  the  light  he  saw  was  the  reflection  of  that  his  men 
had  kindled.  The  interpretation  he  had  put  upon  it 
seemed  to  him  a  perfectly  natural  and  just  one.  His  wor- 
shippers, indeed,  mere  men  that  they  were,  might  be  terri- 
fied at  the  sight  ;  but  why  should  ho,  a  god,  take  any  spe- 
cial notice  of  it  ? 

He  accepted  his  own  superiority  as  implicitly  as  our 
European  nobles  and  rulers  accept  theirs.  He  had  no 
doubts  himself,  and  he  considered  those  who  had  little 
better  than  criminals. 

By  and  by,  a  smaller  ligh;  detached  itself  by  slow  de- 
grees from  the  greater  ones.  The  others  stood  still,  and 
halted  in  mid-ocean.  The  lesser  light  made  as  if  it  would 
come  in  the  direction  of  Boupari.  In  point  of  fact,  the 
gig  had  put  out  in  search  of  Felix  and  Muriel. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  interpreted  the  facts  at  once,  however,  in 
his  own  way.  "See,"  he  said,  pointing  with  his  plump 
forefinger  once  more,  and  encouraging  with  his  words  his 
terrified  followers,  "  I  am  sending  back  a  light  again  from 
the  sun  to  my  island.  I  am  doing  my  work  well.  I  am 
taking  care  of  my  people.  Fear  not  for  your  future.  In 
the  light  is  yet  another  victim.  A  man  and  a  woman  will 
come  to  Boupari  from  the  sun,  to  make  up  for  the  man 
and  woman  whom  we  eat  in  our  feast  to-night.  Give  me 
plenty  of  victims,  and  you  will  have  plenty  of  yam.  Make 
haste,  then  ;  kill,  eat ;  let  us  feast  Tu-Kiki-Kila  !     To-mor- 


TlIK   CRlir   7\l/U)0. 


I') 


row  the  man  nnd  wijniaii  I  Ikivc  sml  from  the  sun  will 
come  ashore  on  the  reef,  and  reacli  I3^)upari." 

At  the  wonls,  he  stepped  forward  and  raised  tliat  heavy 
tomahawk.  Witli  one  blow  each  lie  brained  the  two 
bound  and  defenceless  victims  on  the  altar-stone  uf  his 
fathers.  The  rest,  a  Eur()j:)ean  hand  shrinks  from  revcal- 
\\v^.     The  orgy  was  too  horrible  even  fcjr  description. 

And  that  was  tlic  land  toward  which,  that  moment,  Fe- 
lix Tliurstan  was  strugglinf^,  with  all  his  might,  to  carry 
Muriel  Ellis,  from  the  myriad  clasping  arms  ai  a  compar- 
atively gentle  and  merciful  ocean  ! 


CIIAl^TER    III. 


land;  nuT  whai  land? 

As  the  last  glimmering  lights  of  the  Australasian  died 
away  to  seaward,  Felix  Thurstan  knew  in  his  despair  there 
was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  strike  out  boldly,  if  he  could, 
for  the  shore  of  the  island. 

By  this  time  the  breakers  had  subsided  greatly.  Not, 
indeed,  that  the  sea  itself  was  really  going  down.  On  the 
contrary,  a  brisk  wind  was  rising  sharper  from  the  east, 
and  the  waves  on  the  open  Pacific  were  growing  each  mo- 
ment higher  and  loppier.  But  the  huge  mountain  of 
water  that  washed  Muriel  Ellis  overboard  was  not  a  resru- 
lar  ordinary  wave  ;  it  was  that  far  more  powerful  and  dan- 
gerous mass,  a  shoal-water  breaker.  The  x\ustralasian  had 
passed  at  that  instant  over  a  submerged  coral-bar,  quite 
deep  enough,  indeed,  to  let  her  cross  its  top  without  the 
slightest  danger  of  grazing,  but  still  raised  so  high  toward 
the  surface  as  to  produce  a  considerable  constant  ground- 
swell,  which  broke  in  windy  weather  into  huge  sheets  of 
surf,  like  the  one  that  had  just  struck  and  washed  over  the 
Australasian,  carrying  Muriel  with  it.  The  very  same 
^ause  that  produced  the  breakers,  however,  bore  Felix  on 


IH 


■. 


20 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


their  summit  rapidly  landward  ;  and  once  he  had  got  well 
beyond  the  region  of  the  bar  that  begot  tiiem,  he  found 
himself  soon,  to  his  intense  relief,  in  comparatively  calm 
shoal  water. 

Muriel  Ellis,  for  her  part,  was  faint  with  terror  and  with 
the  buffeting  of  the  waves  ;  but  she  still  lloated  by  his  side, 
upheld  by  the  life-belts.  He  had  been  'able,  by  immense 
efforts,  to  keep  unseparated  from  her  amid  the  rending 
surf  of  the  breakers.  Now  that  they  found  tlicmselvcs  in 
easier  waters  for  a  while,  Felix  began  to  strike  out  vigor- 
ously through  the  darkness  for  the  shore.  Holding  up  his 
companion  with  one  hand,  and  swimming  with  all  his 
might  in  the  direction  where  a  vague  white  line  of  surf, 
lit  up  by  the  red  glare  of  some  fire  far  inland,  made  him 
suspect  the  nearest  land  to  lie,  he  almost  thought  he  had 
succeeded  at  last,  after  a  long  hour  of  struggle,  in  feeling 
his  feet,  after  all,  on  a  firm  coral  bottom. 

At  the  very  moment  he  did  so,  and  touched  the  ground 
underneath,  another  great  wave,  curling  resistlessly  behind 
him,  caught  him  up  on  its  crest,  whirled  him  heavenward 
like  a  cork,  and  then  dashed  him  Jown  once  more,  a  pas- 
sive burden,  on  some  soft  and  yielding  substance,  whicli 
he  conjectured  at  once  to  be  a  beach  of  finely  powdered 
coral  fragments.  As  he  touched  this  beach  for  an  instant, 
tlie  undertow  of  that  vast  dashins:  breaker  sucked  Iiim 
back  with  its  ebb  again,  a  helpless,  breathless  creature  ; 
and  then  the  succeeding  wave  rolled  him  over  like  a  ball, 
upon  the  beach  as  before,  in  quick  succession.  Four  times 
the  back-current  sucked  him  under  with  its  wild  pull  in 
the  self-same  wa}^  and  four  times  the  return  wave  flung 
him  up  upon  the  beach  again  like  a  fragment  of  sea-weed. 
With  frantic  efforts  Felix  tried  at  first  to  cling  still  to  Mu- 
riel— to  save  her  from  the  irresistible  force  of  that  roarincr 
surf — to  snatch  her  from  the  open  jaws  of  death  bv  slieer 
struggling  dint  of  thews  and  muscle.  He  miglit  as  well 
have  tried  to  stem  Niagara.  The  great  waves,  curling;  ir- 
resistibly in  huge  curves  landward,  caught  either  of  them 


THE   GREAT  TAP, 00, 


21 


up  by  turns  on  their  arched  summits,  and  twisted  tlicm 
about  remorselessly,  raising  them  now  aloft  on  liieir  foam- 
ing crest,  beating  them  back  now  prone  in  their  hollow 
trough,  and  flinging  them  fiercely  at  last  witii  pitiless  en- 
ergy against  the  soft  beach  of  coral.  If  the  beach  had 
been  hard,  they  must  infallibly  have  been  grcnmd  to  pow- 
der or  beaten  to  jelly  by  the  colossal  force  of  tl'ose  gigan- 
tic blows.  Fortunately  it  was  yielding,  smooth,  and  clay- 
like, and  received  them  almost  as  a  layer  of  moist  plaster 
of  Paris  might  have  done,  or  tliey  woidd  have  st(Jod  no 
chance  at  all  for  their  lives  in  mat  desperate  battle  with 
the  blind  and  frantic  forces  of  unrelenting  nature. 

No  man  who  has  not  himself  seen  the  surf  break  on  one 
of  these  far-southern  coral  shores  can  form  anv  idea  in  his 
own  mind  of  the  terror  and  horror  of  the  situation.  The 
water,  as  it  reaches  the  beach,  rears  itself  aloft  for  a  second 
into  a  huge  upright  wall,  which,  advancing  slowly,  curls 
over  at  last  in  a  hollow  circle,  and  pounds  down  upon  the 
sand  o*-  reef  with  all  the  crushing  force  of  some  enormous 
sledge-hammer.  But  after  the  fourth  assault,  Felix  felt 
himself  fiung  up  high  and  dry  by  the  wave,  as  one  may 
sometimes  see  a  bit  of  light  reed  or  pith  Hung  up  some 
distance  ahead  by  an  advancing  tide  on  the  beach  in  Eng- 
land. In  an  instant  he  steadied  himself  and  staggered  to 
his  feet.  Torn  and  bruised  as  he  was  by  the  pununelling 
of  the  billows,  he  looked  eac:erlv  into  the  water  in  search 
of  his  companion.  The  next  wave  flung  up  Muriel,  as  the 
last  liad  flung  himself.  He  bent  over  her  with  a  panting 
heart  as  she  lay  there,  insensible,  on  the  long  white  shore. 
Alive  or  dead  ?  that  was  now  the  question. 

Raising  her  hastily  in  his  arms,  with  her  clothes  all  cling- 
ing wet  and  close  about  her,  Felix  carried  her  over  the 
narrow  strip  of  tidal  beach,  above  high-water  level,  and  laid 
her  gently  down  on  a  soft  green  bank  of  short  tropical  her- 
bage, close  to  the  edge  of  the  coral.  Then  he  bent  over 
her  once  more,  and  listened  eagerly  at  her  heart.  It  still 
beat  with  faint  pulses — beat — beat— beat.     Felix  throbbed 


1.1 

t! 
[I 


22 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


\ 


• 


It 


with  joy.  She  was  alive  !  alive  !  lie  was  not  quite  alone, 
then,  on  that  unknown  island  ! 

And  strange  as  it  seemed,  it  was  only  a  little  more  than 
two  short  hours  since  they  had  stood  and  looked  out  across 
the  open  sea  over  the  bulwarks  of  the  Australasian  to- 
gctlicr ! 

But  Felix  had  no  time  to  moralize  just  then.  The  mo- 
ment was  clearly  one  for  action.  Fortunately,  he  liappened 
to  carry  three  useful  things  in  his  pocket  when  he  jumped 
overboard  after  Muriel.  The  first  was  a  pocket-knife  ;  the 
second  was  a  llask  with  a  little  whiskey  in  it  ;  and  the  third, 
perhaps  the  most  important  of  all,  a  small  metal  box  of 
wax  vesta  matches.  Pouring  a  little  whiskey  into  the  cup 
of  the  flask,  he  held  it  eagerly  to  Muriel's  lips.  The  faint- 
ing girl  swallowed  it  automatically.  Then  Felix,  stooping 
down,  tried  the  matches  against  the  box.  They  were  un- 
fortunately wet,  but  half  an  hour's  exposure,  he  knew,  on 
sun-warmed  stones,  in  that  hot,  tropical  air,  would  soon 
restore  them  again.  So  he  opened  the  box  and  laid  them 
carefully  out  on  a  flat  white  slab  of  corai.  After  that,  he 
had  time  to  consider  exactly  where  they  were,  and  what 
their  chances  in  life,  if  any,  might  now  amount  to. 

Pitch  dark  as  it  was,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  deciding  at 
once  by  the  general  look  of  things  that  they  had  reached  a 
fringing  reef,  such  as  he  was  already  familiar  with  in  the 
Marquesas  and  elsewhere.  The  reef  was  no  doubt  circular, 
and  it  enclosed  within  itself  a  second  or  c  ;ntral  island, 
divided  from  it  by  a  shallow  lagoon  of  calm,  still  water. 
He  walked  some  yards  inland.  From  where  he  now  stood, 
on  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  he  could  look  either  way,  and 
by  the  faint  reflected  light  of  the  stars,  or  the  glare  of  the 
great  pyre  that  burned  on  the  central  island,  he  could  see 
down  on  one  side  to  the  ocean,  with  its  fierce  white  pound- 
ing surf,  and  on  the  other  to  the  lasroon,  reflectina:  the  stars 
overhead,  and  motionless  as  a  mill-pond.  Between  them 
lay  the  low  raised  ridge  of  coral,  covered  with  tall  stems 
of  cocoanut  palms,  and  interspersed  here  and  there,  as  far 


ir" 


viC' 


THE    CRI'.M'   TABOO. 


23 


as  his  eye  could  judge,  with  little  rectangular  clumps  of 
plantain  and  taro. 

But  what  alarmed  Felix  most  was  the  fire  that  blazed  so 
brightly  to  heaven  on  the  central  island  ;  for  he  knew  too 
well  that  meant — there  were  men  on  the  place  ;  the  land 
was  inhabited. 

The  cocoanuts  and  taro  told  the  same  doubtful  talc. 
From  the  way  they  grew,  even  in  that  dim  starlight,  Felix 
recognized  at  once  they  had  all  been  planted. 

Still,  he  didn't  hesitate  to  do  what  he  thought  best  for 
Muriel's  relief  for  all  that.  Collecting  a  few  sticks  and 
fragments  of  palm-branches  from  the  jungle  about,  he 
piled  them  into  a  heap,  and  waited  patiently  for  his 
matches  to  dry.  As  soon  as  they  were  ready — and  the 
warmth  of  the  stone  made  them  quickly  innammi;ble — he 
struck  a  match  on  the  box,  and  proceeded  to  light  his  fire 
by  Muriel's  side.  As  her  clothes  grew  warmer,  the  poor 
girl  opened  her  eyes  at  last,  and,  gazing  around  her,  ex- 
claimed, in  blank  terror,  "  Oh,  Mr.Thurstan,  where  are  we  ? 
What  does  all  this  mean  ?  Where  have  we  got  to  ?  On  a 
desert  island  ? " 

"  No,  not  on  a  desert  island,"  Felix  answered,  shortly  ; 
''  Fm  afraid  it's  a  great  deal  worse  than  that.  To  tell  you 
tlie  truth,  Fm  afraid  it's  inhabited. 


s 
r 


At  that  moment,  by  the  hot  embers  of  the  great  sacrifi- 
cial pyre  on  tlie  central  hill,  two  of  the  savage  temple- 
attendants,  calling  their  god's  attention  to  a  sudden  blaze 
of  flame  upon  the  fringing  reef,  pointed  with  their  dark 
forefingers  and  called  out  in  surprise,  ''  See,  see,  a  fire  on 
the  barrier  !  A  fire  !  A  fire  !  What  can  it  mean  ?  There 
are  no  men  of  our  people  over  there  to-night.  Have  war- 
canoes  arrived  ?     Has  some  enemy  landed  ?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  leaned  back,  drained  his  cocoanut  cup  of 
intoxicating  kava,  and  surveyed  the  unwonted  apparition 
on  the  reef  long  and  carefully.  "  It  is  nothing,"  he  said 
at  last,  in  his  most  deliberate  manner,  stroking  his  checks 


•.  I: 


24 


7Y//S    CREAT  TABOO. 


!  i 


■  % 


% 


and  chin  contentedly  with  tluit  plump  round  hand  of  his. 
"  It  is  only  the  victims ;  the  new  victims  I  promised  you. 
Korong  !  Korong  !  They  have  come  ashore  with  tlieir 
light  from  my  home  in  the  sun.  They  have  brought  fire 
afresh — holy  lire  to  Boupari." 

Three  or  four  of  the  savages  leaped  up  in  fierce  joy, 
and  bowed  before  him  as  he  spoke,  with  eager  faces. 
"  Uh,  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  "  the  eldest  among  them  said,  making 
a  profound  reverence,  "shall  we  swim  across  to  the  reef 
and  fetch  them  home  to  your  house  ?  Shall  we  take  over 
our  canoes  and  bring  back  your  victims  !" 

The  god  motioned  tliem  back  with  one  outstretched 
palm.'  Ilis  eyes  were  flushed  and  his  look  lazy.  "Not 
to-night,  my  people,"  he  said;  readjusting  the  garland  of 
flowers  round  his  neck,  and  giving  a  careless  glance  at  the 
well-picked  bones  that  a  few  hours  before  had  been  two 
trembling  fellow  creatures.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  feasted 
his  fill  for  this  evening.  Your  god  is  full ;  his  heart  is 
happy.  I  have  eaten  human  flesh  ;  I  have  drunk  of  the 
juice  of  the  kava.  Am  I  not  a  great  deity  ?  Can  I  not 
do  as  I  will  ?  I  frown,  and  the  heavens  thunder;  I  gnash 
my  teeth,  and  the  earth  trembles.  What  is  it  to  me  if 
fresh  victims  come,  or  if  they  come  not  ?  Can  I  not  make 
with  a  nod  as  many  as  I  will  of  them  ? "  He  took  up  two 
fresh  finger-bones,  clean  gnawed  of  their  flesh,  and  knocked 
them  together  in  a  wild  tune,  carelessly.  *'  If  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  chooses,"  he  went  on,  tapping  his  chest  with  conscious 
pride,  "  he  can  knock  these  bones  together — so — and  bid 
them  live  again.  Is  it  not  I  who  cause  women  and  beasts 
to  bring  forth  their  young  ?  Is  it  not  I  who  give  the  tur- 
tles their  increase  ?  And  is  it  not  a  small  thing  to  me, 
therefore,  whether  the  sea  tosses  up  my  victims  from  my 
home  in  the  sun,  or  whether  it  does  not  ?  Let  us  leave 
them  alone  on  the  reef  for  to-night ;  to-morrow  we  will 
send  over  our  canoes  to  fetcli  them." 

It  was  all  pure  brag,  all  pure  guesswork  ;  and  yet,  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  himself  profoundly  believed  it. 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


25 


11 


As  he  spoke,  the  light  from  Felix's  fire  blazed  out 
against  the  dark  sky,  stronger  and  clearer  still ;  and 
through  that  cloudless  tropical  air  the  figure  of  a  man,  stand- 
inf  for  one  moment  between  the  flames  and  tlie  higoon,  be- 
came distinctly  visible  to  the  keen  and  practised  eyes  of  the 
savaofcs.  "I  see  them?  I  see  them  ;  I  see  the  victims!" 
the  foremost  worshipper  exclaimed,  rushing  forward  a  lit- 
tle at  tlic  siglit,  and  beside  himself  witii  superstitious  awe 
and  surprise  at  Tu-Kila-Kila's  presence.  "  Surely  our  god 
is  great  !  He  knows  all  things  !  He  brings  us  meat  from 
the  setting  sun,  in  sliips  of  fire,  in  blazing  canoes,  across 
the  golden  road  of  the  sun-bathed  ocean  !  " 

As  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  leaning  on  his  elbow  at 
ease,  he  gazed  across  at  the  unexpected  sight  with  very 
languid  interest.  He  was  a  god,  and  he  liked  to  see 
things  conducted  with  proper  decorum.  This  crowing 
and  crying  over  a  couple  of  spirits — mere  ordinary  spirits 
come  ashore  from  the  sun  in  a  fiery  boat — struck  his  god- 
ship  as  little  short  of  childish.  ''Let  them  be,"  he  an- 
swered, petulantly,  crushing  a  blossom  in  his  hand.  "  Let 
no  man  disturb  them.  They  shall  rest  where  they  are  till 
to-morrow  morning.  We  have  eaten  ;  we  have  drunk  ; 
our  soul  is  happy.  The  kava  within  us  lias  made  us  like 
a  god  indeed.  I  shall  give  my  ministers  charge  that  no 
harm  happen  to  them." 

He  drew  a  whistle  from  his  side  and  whistled  once. 
Tliere  was  a  moment's  pause.  Then  Tu-Kila-Kila  spoke 
in  a  loud  voice  again.  "  The  King  of  Fire  ! "  he  ex- 
claimed, in  tones  of  princely  authority. 

From  within  the  hut  there  came  forth  slowly  a  second 
stalwart  savage,  big  built  and  burly  as  the  great  god  him- 
self, clad  in  a  long  robe  or  cloak  of  yellow  feathers,  which 
shone  bright  w^ith  a  strange  metallic  gleam  in  the  ruddy 
light  of  the  huge  pile  of  li-wood. 

"  The  King  of  Fire  is  here,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  the  lesser 
god  made  answer,  bending  his  head  slightly. 

"  Fire,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  like  a  monarch  giving  orders 


26 


THE   GRKAT  TABOO. 


iu 


!     1 


i  r 


to  his  attendant  minister,  "  if  any  man  touch  the  new- 
comers on  the  reef  before  I  cause  my  sun  to  rise  to-mor- 
row morning,  scorcli  up  his  tlesh  witli  your  Hume,  and 
consume  his  bones  to  asli  and  cinder.  If  any  woman  go 
near  them  before  Tu-Kila  Kila  bids,  let  her  be  rolled  in 
palm-leaves,  and  smeared  with  oil,  and  liglit  her  up  for  a 
torch  on  a  dark  night  to  lighten  our  temple." 

The  King  of  Fire  bent  his  head  in  assent.  "  It  is  as 
Tu-Kila-Kila  wills,"  he  answered,  submissively. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  whistled  again,  this  time  twice.  "The 
King  of  Water ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  the  same  loud  tone  of 
command  as  before. 

At  the  words,  a  man  of  about  forty,  tall  and  sinewy, 
clad  in  a  short  cape  of  white  albatross  feathers,  and  with 
a  girdle  of  nautilus  shells  interspersed  witli  red  coral  tied 
around  his  waist,  came  forth  to  the  summons. 

"  The  King  of  Water  is  here,"  he  said,  bending  his  head, 
but  not  his  knee,  before  the  greater  deity. 

"  Water,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  witli  half-tipsy  solemnity, 
"  you  are  a  god  too.  Your  power  is  very  great.  But  less 
than  mine.  Do,  then,  as  I  bid  you.  If  any  man  touch 
my  spirits,  whom  I  have  brought  from  my  home  in  the 
sun  in  a  fiery  ship,  before  I  bid  him  to-morrow,  overturn 
his  canoe,  and  drown  him  in  lagoon  or  spring  or  ocean. 
If  any  woman  go  near  them  without  Tu-Kila-Kila's  leave, 
bind  her  hand  and  foot  with  ropes  of  porpoise  hide,  and 
cast  her  out  into  the  surf,  and  dash  her  with  your  waves, 
and  pummel  her  to  pieces." 

The  King  of  Water  bent  his  head  a  second  time.  "  I 
am  a  great  god,"  he  answered,  ''before  all  others  save 
you  :  but  for  you,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  I  haste  to  do  your  bid^ 
ding.  If  any  man  disobey  you,  my  billows  shall  rise  and 
overwhelm  him  in  the  sea.  I  am  a  great  god.  I  claim 
each  year  many  drowned  victims." 

"But  not  so  many  as  mc,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  interposed,  his 
hand  playing  on  his  knife  witli  a  faint  air  of  impatience. 

"  I3ut  not  so  many  as  you,"  the  minor  god  added^  iq 


r  m\ 


¥>': 


,    A 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


27 


haste,  as  if  to  appease  his  rising  anger.     "  Fire  and  Water 
ever  speed  to  do  your  bidding." 

Tu-Kila-Kiia  stood  up,  turned  toward  the  distant  flame, 
and  waved  his  hands  round  and  round  three  times  before 
him.  "  Let  this  be  for  you  ail  a  great  taboo,"  he  said, 
irhuicinc:  once  more  toward  his  awe-struck  followers. 
"  Xuw  tlie  mysteries  are  over.  Tu-Kila-Kila  will  sleep, 
lie  has  eaten  of  human  flesh.  He  has  drunk  of  cocoanut 
rum  and  of  new  kava.  He  has  brought  back  his  sun  on 
its  way  in  the  lieavens.  He  has  sent  it  messengers  of  fire 
to  reinforce  its  strength.  He  has  fetched  from  it  messen- 
gers in  turn  with  fresh  fire  to  Boupari,  fire  not  lighted 
from  any  eartlily  flame  ;  fire  new,  divine,  scorching,  un- 
speakable. To-morrow  we  will  talk  with  the  spirits  he 
has  brought.  To-niglU  we  will  sleep.  Now  all  go  to 
your  homes  ;  and  tell  your  women  of  this  great  taboo,  lest 
they  speak  to  the  spirits,  and  fall  into  the  hands  of  Fire 
or  of  Water." 

The  savages  dropped  on  their  faces  before  the  eye  of 
their  god  and  lay  quite  still.  They  made  a  path  as  it  were 
from  the  pyre  to  the  temple  door  with  their  prostrate 
bodies.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  walking  with  unsteady  steps  over 
their  half-naked  forms,  turned  to  his  hut  in  a  drunken 
booze.  He  walked  over  them  with  no  more  compunction 
or  feeling  tlian  over  so  many  logs.  Why  should  he  not, 
indeed  ?  For  he  was  a  god,  and  they  were  his  meat,  his 
servants,  his  worshippers. 


"I 

LVC 

lid. 
nd 
|im 

lis 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE    GUESTS   OF   HEAVEN. 


All  that  night  through — their  first  lonely  night  on  the 
island  of  Boupari — Felix  sat  up  by  his  flickering  fire,  wide 
awake,  half  expecting  and  dreading  some  treacherous 
attack  of  the  unknown  savaires.     From  time  to  time  he 


,t  i 


i    I 


I'  ll 


I     \ 


28 


TI/IC   GREAT  TABOO, 


kept  adding  dry  fuel  to  his  smouldering  pile  ;  and  he  never 
ceased  to  keep  a  keen  eye  both  on  the  lagoon  and  tlie  reef, 
in  case  an  assault  should  be  made  upon  them  suddenly  by 
land  or  water.  lie  knew  the  Soutli  Seas  quite  well  enough 
;ih\;at]y  lo  have  all  the  possibilities  of  misfortune  llcjating 
\ividly  before  his  eyes.  He  realized  at  once  from  his  own 
Picvious  experience  the  full  loneliness  and  terror  of  their 
n;i;u"me(.l  condition. 

For  Hou[)ari  was  one  of  those  rare  remote  islets  where 
llie  very  rumor  of  our  European  civilization  has  liardly  ycL 
penetrated. 

As  for  jNIuricl,  though  she  was  alarmed  enough,  of 
co'urse,  and  intensely  shaken  by  the  sudden  shock  she  had 
received,  the  whole  surroundings  were  too  wholly  unlike 
any  world  she  had  ever  yet  known  to  enable  her  to  take  in 
at  once  the  utter  horror  of  the  situation.  She  only  knew 
tiiey  were  alone,  wet,  bruised,  and  terribly  battered  ;  and 
the  Australasian  had  gone  on,  leaving  them  there  to  their 
fate  on  an  unknown  island.  That,  for  the  moment,  was 
more  than  enough  for  her  of  accumulated  misfortune. 
She  come  to  herself  but  slowly,  and  as  her  torn  clothes 
dried  by  degrees  before  the  fire  and  the  heat  of  the 
tropical  night,  she  was  so  far  from  fully  realizing  the 
dangers  of  their  position  that  her  first  and  principal  fear 
for  the  moment  was  lest  she  might  take  cold  from  her  wet 
things  drying  upon  her.  She  ate  a  little  of  the  plantain 
that  Felix  picked  for  her  ;  and  at  times,  toward  morning, 
she  dozed  off  into  an  uneasy  sleep,  from  pure  fatigue  and 
excess  of  weariness.  As  she  slept,  Felix,  bending  over  her, 
with  the  biggest  blade  of  his  knife  open  in  case  of  attack, 
watched  with  profound  emotion  the  rise  and  fall  of  her 
bosom,  and  hesitated  with  himself,  if  the  worst  should 
come  to  the  worst,  as  to  what  he  ought  to  do  with  her. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  let  a  pure  young  English 
girl  like  that  fall  helplessly  into  the  hands  of  such  blood- 
thirsty wretches  as  he  knew  the  islanders  were  almost 
certain  to  be.     Who  could  tell  what  nameless  indignities, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


29 


e never 
ic  reef, 
J  Illy  by 
enough 

lis  uwM 
)f  tlicir 

where 
(lly  yet 

jgh,    of 

;lic  had 

unlike 

take  in 

y  knew 

d  ;  and 

;o  their 

nt,  was 

jrtune. 

clothes 

of   the 

nsf  the 

al  fear 

ler  wet 

antain 

rning, 

e  and 

r  her, 

ttack, 

f  her 

hould 

ler. 

[nglish 

ood- 

hnost 

ities, 


what  incredible  tortures  they  might  wantonly  intlict  upon 
her  innocent  soul  ?  Was  it  riglit  of  him  to  have  let  her 
come  ashore  at  all  ?  Uugiit  he  not  ratiier  to  have  alluwetl 
Vac  more  merciful  sea  to  take  her  life  easily,  without  the 
chance  or  possibility  of  such  additional  horrors  ? 

And  nuw — as  she  slept — so  calm  and  pure  and  maidenly 
— what  was  his  duty  that  minute,  just  there  to  her  ?  lie 
felt  the  blade  of  his  knife  with  his  linger  cautiously,  and 
alnujst  doubted.  If  only  she  could  tell  what  things  might 
be  in  store  for  her,  would  she  not,  herself,  prefer  death, 
an  honorable  death,  at  the  friendly  hands  of  a  tender- 
hearted fellow-countryman,  to  the  unspeakable  insults  of 
these  man-eating  Polynesians  ?  If  only  he  had  the  cour- 
age to  release  her  by  one  blow,  as  she  lay  there,  frcnn  the 
coming  ill !  But  he  hadn't  ;  he  hadn't.  Even  on  bc;ard 
the  Australasian  he  had  been  vaguely  aware  that  he  was 
getting  very  fond  of  that  pretty  little  Miss  Ellis.  And 
now  that  he  sat  there,  after  that  desperate  struggle  for  life 
with  the  pounding  waves,  mounting  guard  over  her  through 
the  livelong  night,  his  own  heart  told  him  plainly,  in  t(nies 
he  could  not  disobey,  he  loved  her  too  well  to  dare  what 
he  tliou2:ht  best  in  the  end  for  her. 

Still,  even  so,  he  was  brave  enough  to  feel  he  must 
never  let  the  very  worst  of  all  befall  her.  lie  bethc^ught 
liim,  in  his  doubt  and  agony,  of  how  his  uncle,  ]Maj(jr 
Thurstan,  during  the  great  Indian  mutiny,  had  held  his 
Icjnely  bungalow,  with  his  wife  and  daughter  by  his  side, 
for  three  long  hours  against  a  howling  mob  of  native  in- 
surgents ;  and  how,  when  further  resistance  was  liopeless, 
;uk1  that  great  black  wave  of  angry  humanity  burst  in 
ujjon  them  at  last,  the  brave  soldier  had  drawn  his  re- 
volver, shot  his  wife  and  daughter  with  unerring  aim,  to 
])revent  their  falling  alive  into  the  hands  of  the  natives, 
and  then  blown  his  own  brains  out  with  his  last  remaining 
cartridge.  As  his  uncle  liad  done  at  Jhansi,  thirty  years 
before,  so  he  himself  would  C'.y)  on  that  nameless  Pacific 
island — for  he  didn't  knov/  even   now  on  what  shore  he 


'     I 


i 


30 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


liad  landed.  If  tlic  savages  bore  down  upon  them  with 
liostilc  intent,  and  threatened  Muriel,  he  would  plunge  his 
knife  first  into  that  innoeent  woman's  lieart ;  and  tiien  bury 
it  deep  in  his  own,  and  die  beside  her. 

So  tile  long  nigiit  wore  on— Muriel  pillowed  on  loose 
cocoanut  liusi':,  dozing  now  and  again,  and  waking  witli  a 
start  to  gaze  round  about  her  wildly,  and  realize  once 
more  in  wliat  pligiit  she  found  herself  ;  Felix  crouching  by 
her  feet,  and  keeping  watcli  witli  eager  eyes  and  ears  on 
every  side  for  the  least  sign  of  a  iioi>(jlcss,  naked  footfall 
tlirough  the  tangled  growth  of  that  dense  tropical  under- 
bush.  Time  after  time  lie  clapped  his  hand  to  his  ear, 
shell-wise,  and  listened  and  peered,  with  knitted  brow, 
suspecting  some  sudden  swoop  from  an  ambush  in  the 
jungle  of  creepers  behind  the  little  plantain  patch.  Time 
after  time  he  grasped  his  knife  hard,  and  puckered  his 
eyebrows  resolutely,  and  stood  still  with  bated  breath  for  a 
fierce,  wild  leap  upon  his  fancied  assailant.  But  the  night 
wore  away  by  degrees,  a  minute  at  a  time,  and  no  man 
came  ;  and  dawn  began  to  brighten  the  sea-line  to  east- 
ward. 

As  the  day  dawned,  Felix  could  see  more  clearly  exactly 
where  he  was,  and  in  w'hat  surroundings.  Without,  the 
ocean  broke  in  huge  curling  billows  on  the  shallow  beach 
of  the  fringing  reef  with  such  stupendous  force  that  Felix 
wondered  how  thev  could  ever  have  lived  through  its 
pounding  surf  and  its  fiercely  retreating  undertow. 
Within,  the  lagoon  spread  its  calm  lake-like  surface  away 
to  the  white  coral  shore  of  tlie  central  atoll.  Between 
these  two  waters,  the  greater  and  the  less,  a  waving  pali- 
sade of  tall-stemmed  palm-trees  rose  on  a  narrow  ribbon 
of  circular  land  that  formed  the  frinj^inc:  reef.  All  nic^ht 
through  he  had  felt,  with  a  strange  eerie  misgiving,  the 
very  foundations  of  the  land  thrill  under  his  feet  at  every 
dull  thud  or  boom  of  the  surf  on  its  restraininq-  barrier. 
Now  that  he  could  see  that  thin  belt  of  shore  in  its  actual 
sliape  and  size,   he  was  not  astonished  at   this  constant 


rilE    GREAT  TABOO. 


31 


sliock  ;  what  surprised  him  raLlun*  was  the  fact  that  such  a 
s[)cclv  uf  huid  could  hold  its  own  at  all  against  the  ceaseless 
cannonade  of  tliat  seemingly  irresistible  ocean, 

lie  stood  up,  hatless,  in  his  battered  tweed  suit,  and  sur- 
veyed the  scene  of  their  present  and  future  adventures. 
1 1  look  but  a  glance  to  show  him  that  the  whole  ground- 
|)!:iii  t)f  the  island  was  entirely  circular.  In  the  midst  of 
ail  rose  the  central  atc^U  itself,  a  tiny  mountain-peak,  just 
projecting  with  its  liills  and  gorges  to  a  few  hundred  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  Outside  it  came  the  la- 
go(jn,  with  its  placid  ring  of  glassy  water  surrounding  the 
circular  island,  and  sei)arated  from  the  sea  by  an  equally 
circular  belt  of  fringing  reef,  covered  thick  with  waving 
stems  of  picturesque  cocoanut.  It  was  on  the  reef  they 
liad  landed,  and  from  it  they  now  looked  across  the  calm 
lagoon  with  doubtful  eyes  toward  the  central  island. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  rose,  their  doubts  were  (juickly  re- 
solved into  fears  or  certainties.  Scarcely  had  its  rim  be- 
gun to  show  itself  distinctly  above  the  eastern  horizon, 
when  a  great  bustle  and  confusion  was  noticeable  at  once 
on  the  opposite  shore.  Brown-skinned  savages  were  c(j1- 
lecting  in  eager  groups  by  a  white  patch  of  beach,  and  put- 
tinq;  out  rude  but  well-manned  canoes  into  the  calm  waters 
of  the  laofoon.  At  s\^\\X.  of  their  naked  arms  and  bustlitio: 
gestiu'es,  Muriel's  heart  sank  suddenly  witliin  her.  *'  Oh, 
Mr.  Thurstan,"  she  cried,  clinging  to  his  arm  in  her  terror, 
"  what  does  it  all  mean  ?  Are  thev  c:oinQ:  to  hurt  us  ? 
Are  these  savages  coming  over  ?  Are  they  coming  to  kill 
us  ?  " 

Felix  grasped  his  trusty  knife  hard  in  his  right  hand, 
and  swallowed  a  groan,  as  he  looked  tenderly  down  upon 
her.  "  Muriel,"  he  said,  forgetting  in  the  excitement  of 
the  moment  the  little  conventionalities  and  courtesies  of 
civilized  life,  "if  they  are,  trust  me,  you  never  shall  fall 
alive  into  their  cruel  hands.  Sooner  than  that — "  he  held 
up  the  knife  significantly,  with  its  open  blade  before  her. 

The  poor  girl  clung  to  him  harder  still,  with  a  ghastly 


32 


Tin:  GRi.i'r  /.inoo. 


s\m(l(lcY.  "Ob,  it's  terrible,  terrible,"  she  cried,  turning 
(le;idly  pule.  Then,  after  a  short  pause,  she  addeil,  *' IJut 
I  would  rather  have  it  s(;.  Do  as  you  say.  I  could  bear 
it  from  you.  Piomise  me  ///<//,  rather  than  that  those 
creatures  should  kill  me." 

"I  promise,"  Felix  answered,  clasping  lier  hruid  haid, 
and  paused,  with  the  knife  ever  ready  in  his  right,  await- 
ing the  a})proach  of  the  half-naked  savages. 

'The  boats  glided  fast  across  the  lagoon,  pr(;pelled  by 
the  paddles  of  the  stalwart  Polynesians  who  manned  them, 
and  crowded  to  the  water's  ^:{.Vj[,c  with  groups  of  grinning 
ami  shouting  warriors.  They  were  dressed  in  aprons  (jf 
(hiU'.'ena  leaves  only,  with  necklets  ami  armlets  of  sharks* 
teeth  and  cowrie  shells.  A  dozen  canoes  at  least  were 
making  towai'd  the  reef  at  full  si)eed,  all  bristling  with 
spears  and  alive  with  noisv  and  boisterous  savaires.  jNIu- 
ricl  shrank  back  terror-stricken  at  the  siL>'ht,  as  thev  drew 
nearer  and  nearer.  IJiit  Felix,  holding  his  breath  hard, 
grew  somewhat  less  nervous  as  the  men  approached  the 
reef.  He  had  seen  enough  (;f  Polynesian  life  before  now 
to  feel  sure  these  people  were  not  upcMi  the  war-path. 
Whatever  tlieir  idtimate  intentions  toward  the  castaways 
might  be,  their  immediate  object  seemed  friendly  and 
good-humored.  The  boats,  though  large,  were  not  regu- 
lar war-canoes  ;  tlie  men,  instead  of  brandishing  their 
spears,  and  lunging  out  with  tliomover  the  cd^c  in  threat- 
ening attitudes,  held  them  erect  in  their  hands  at  rest, 
like  standards  ;  thev  were  huu'-hinL;:  and  talking,  not  crv- 
ing  their  war  cry.  As  they  drew  near  the  shore,  one  big 
canoe  shot  suddenly  a  length  or  so  ahead  of  the  rest  ;  and 
its  leader,  standing  on  the  grotesque  carved  figure  that 
adorned  its  prow,  held  up  both  his  hands  open  and  empty 
before  him,  in  sign  of  peace,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
shouted  out  a  word  or  two  three  times  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, to  reassure  the  castaways. 

Felix's  eye  glanced  cautiously  from  boat  to  boat.  **  He 
says,  '  We  are  friends,'  "  the  young  man  remarked  in  an 


yy/A'  ah'/:. IT  iwnoo. 


33 


undertone  to  his  terrified  companion.  "  I  can  understand 
his  dialect.  Tiiank  Heaven,  it's  very  close  to  Fijian.  I 
shall  be  able  at  least  to  palaver  to  tliesc  men.  I  don't 
think  they  mean  just  now  to  harm  us.  I  believe  we  can 
trust  them,  at  any  rate  lor  the  present." 

'I'hc  poor  girl  drew  back,  in  still  greater  awe  and  alarm 
ilian  ever.  "  Oh,  arc  they  going  to  land  here  ?  "  she  cried, 
still  clinging  closer  with  both  hands  to  her  one  friend  and 
protector. 

''  Try  not  to  look  so  frightened  !  "  Felix  exclaimed,  with 
a  warning  glance.  *'  Remember,  much  depends  upon  it  ; 
savages  judge  you  greatly  by  what  demeanor  you  happen 
to  assume.  If  you're  frightened,  they  know  their  power  ; 
if  they  see  you're  resolute,  they  suspect  you  have  some 
supernatural  means  of  protection.  Try  to  meet  them 
frankly,  as  if  you  were  not  afraid  of  them."  Then,  ad- 
vancing slowly  to  the  water's  edge,  he  called  out  aloud,  in 
a  strong,  clear  voice,  a  few  words  which  Muriel  didn't 
imderstand,  but  which  were  really  the  Fijian  for  "We 
also  are  friendly.  Our  medicine  is  good.  We  mean  no 
magic.  We  come  to  jcu  from  across  the  great  wate»". 
We  desire  your  peace.     Receive  us  and  protect  us  !  "       ' 

At  tlic  sound  of  words  which  he  could  readily  under- 
stand, and  which  differed  but  little,  indeed,  from  his  own 
language,  the  leader  on  the  foremost  canoe,  who  seemed 
by  his  manner  to  be  a  jrrcat  chief,  turned  round  to  his 
followers  and  cried  out  in  tones  of  superstitious  awe,  "  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  spoke  well.  These  are,  indeed,  what  he  told  us. 
Korong  !  Korong  !  They  arc  spirits  who  have  come  to 
us  from  the  disk  of  the  sun,  to  bring  us  light  and  pure, 
fresh  fire.  Stay  back  there,  all  of  you.  You  are  not  holy 
enough  to  approach.  I  and  my  crew,  who  are  sanctified 
by  the  mysteries,  we  alone  will  go  forward  to  meet  them." 

As  he  spoke,  a  sudden  idea,  suggested  by  his  words, 
struck  Felix's  mind.  Superstition  is  the  great  lever  by 
which  to  move  the  savage  intelligence.  Gathering  up  a 
few  dr}  leaves  and  fragments  of  stick  on  the  shore,  he  laid 


m 


III 


1 


34 


r///L    GREAT  TABOO, 


them  together  in  a  pile,  and  awaited  in  silence  the  arrival 
of  the  foremost  islanders.  The  first  canoe  advanced  slowly 
and  cautiously,  the  men  in  it  eying  tliesc  proceedings  wilii 
evident  suspicion;  the  rest  hung  back,  with  .iicir  spears 
in  array,  and  their  hands  just  ready  to  use  them  with  effect 
should  occasion  demand  it. 

The  leader  of  the  first  canoe,  coming  close  to  the  shore, 
jumped  out  upon  the  reef  in  shallow  water,  lialf  a  dozen 
of  his  followers  jumped  after  him  withou.  hesitation,  and 
brandished  their  weapons  round  their  heads  as  they  ad- 
vanced, in  savage  unison.  But  Felix,  pretending  hardly 
to  notice  these  hostile  demonstrations,  stepped  boldly  up 
toward  his  little  pile  with  great  deliberation,  though  tremb- 
ling, inwardly,  and  proceeded  before  their  eyes  to  take  a 
match  from  his  box,  which  he  displayed  ostentatiously,  all 
glittering  in  the  sun,  to  the  foremost  savage.  The  leader 
stood  by  and  watched  him  close  with  eyes  of  silent  wonder. 
Then  Felix,  kneeling  down,  struck  the  match  on  the  box, 
and  applied  it,  as  it  lighted,  to  the  dry  leaves  beside  him. 

A  chorus  of  astonishment  burst  unanimously  from  the 
delighted  natives  as  the  dry  leaves  leaped  all  at  once  into 
a  tongue  of  flame,  and  the  little  pile  caught  quickly  from 
the  fire  in  the  vesta. 

The  leader  looked  hard  at  the  two  white  face^,  and  then 
at  the  fire  on  the  beach,  with  evident  approbation.  "It 
is  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,"  he  exclaimed  at  last  with  profound 
awe.  **Tliey  are  spirits  from  the  sun,  and  tiiey  carry  with 
tliem  pure  fire  in  shining  boxes." 

Then,  advancing  a  pace  and  pointing  toward  the  canoe, 
lie  motioned  Felix  and  Muriel  to  take  their  seats  within  it 
with  native  savage  politeness.  **  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  sent  for 
you,"  he  said,  in  his  grandest  aristocratic  air,  "for  your 
chief  is  a  gentleman.  He  wdshes  to  receive  you.  He  saw 
your  message-fire  on  the  reef  last  night,  and  he  knew  you 
liad  come.  He  has  made  you  a  very  great  Taboo.  He 
has  put  you  under  protection  of  Fire  and  Water." 

The  people  in  the  boats,  with  on?  accord,  shouted  out 


Till-:    GKI.AT  TABOO. 


35 


Ibcn 
"It 
mul 
'ith 

[oc, 
1  it 
Ifor 


i^  tvild  chorus,  as  if  to  confirm  liis  wt^rds,  "  Taboo  !  l^iboo  ! 
I'l.-Ivihi-Kihv  iias  said  ill  Taboo  I  Tabou  !  Ware  Fire! 
Ware  Water  I" 

Though  the  dialect  in  wliicli  they  spol^e  differed  S(jmc- 
W'hat  from  chat  in  \ise  in  Fiji,  Felix  could  still  make  (Jiit 
with  care  almost  every  word  of  what  the  chief  had  said  to 
him  ;  and  the  universal  Polynesian  expression,  "  Tab(jn," 
ill  particular,  somewhat  reassured  him  as  to  their  friendly 
intentions.  Among  remote  heathen  islanders  like  these, 
he  felt  sure,  the  very  word  itself  was  far  too  sacred  to  be 
taken  in  vain,  Tiiey  would  respect  its  inviolability.  He 
turned  round  to  jNIuriel.  "We  must  go  with  them,"  he 
said,  shortly.  "  It's  our  one  chance  left  of  life  now.  Don't 
be  too  terrified  ;  there  is  still  some  hope.  They  say  some- 
body they  call  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  tabooed  us.  No  one  will 
dare  to  hurt  us  against  so  great  a  Taboo  ;  for  Tu-Kila-Kila 
is  evidently  some  very  important  king  or  chief.  You  must 
step  into  the  boat.  It  can't  be  avoided.  If  any  harm  is 
threatened,  be  sure  I  won't  forget  my  ]Dromise." 

Muriel  shrank  back  in  alarm,  and  clung  still  to  his  arm 
now  as  naturally  as  she  would  have  clung  to  a  brother's. 
*'  Oh,  Mr.  Thurstan,"  she  cried — "  Felix,  I  tlou't  know 
what  to  say  ;  I  aint  go  with  them." 

Felix  put  his  arm  gently  round  her  girlish  waist,  and 
half  lifted  l^.er  into  the  boat  in  spite  of  her  reluctance. 
''  You  must,"  he  said,  with  great  firmness.  *'  You  must  ([^t 
as  I  say.  I  will  watch  over  you,  and  take  care  of  you, 
If  Ltie  worst  comes,  1  have  always  my  knife,  and  I  won't 
forget.  Now,  friend,"  he  went  on,  in  Fijian,  turning 
round  to  the  chief,  as  he  took  his  seat  in  the  canoe  fear- 
lessly among  all  those  dusky,  half-clad  figures,  "we  are 
ready  to  start.  We  do  not  fear.  We  wish  to  go.  Take 
us  to  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

And  all  the  savages  around,  sliouting  in  their  surprise 
and  awe,  exclaimed  once  more  in  concert,  ''Tu-Kila-K  la 
is  great.  We  will  take  them,  as  he  bids  us,  forthwith  to 
heaven." 


!1; 


36 


THE   GREAT   TABOO. 


'■\ 


i'  i 


i    i 


SA 


't! 


*'  Wiiat  do  tlicy  say  ?"  Muriel  cried,  clinging  close  to  the 
wliiLc  man's  side  in  licr  speechless  terror.  ''Do  you  un- 
derstand their  lanijuajxe  ?" 

"  Weil,  I  can't  quite  make  it  out,"  Felix  answered,  much 
puzzled  ;  "  that  is  to  say,  not  every  word  of  it.  They  say 
Llicy'il  talve  us  somewliere,  I  don't  quite  know  where  ;  but 
in  Fijian,  the  word  would  certainly  mean  to  heaven." 

Muriel  sluiddered  visibly.  "You  don't  think,"  she  said, 
with  a  trenudous  tongue,  "  they  mean  to  kill  us  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  so,"  Felix  replied,  not  over-confi- 
dently.  "They  said  we  were  Taboo.  But  with  savages 
like  tliese,  of  course,  one  can  never  in  any  case  be  qulce 
certain." 


CHAPTER   V. 


ENROLLED    IN    OLYMPUS. 


They  rowed  across  tlie  lagoon,  a  mysterious  procession, 
almost  in  silence — the  canoe  v/ith  the  two  Europeans  going 
first,  the  others  following  at  a  slight  dij.taucc — and  landed 
at  last  on  the  brink  of  the  centra'  island. 

Several  of  the  Boupari  people  leaped  ashore  at  once  ; 
tlicn  they  helped  Felix  and  Muriel  from  the  frail  bark  with 
almost  deferential  care,  and  led  the  way  before  them  up  a 
steep  white  path,  tliat  zigzagged  through  the  forest  toward 
tlie  cf  .itre  of  the  island.  As  the)''  went,  a  band  of  natives 
]ireceded  them  in  regular  line  of  march,  shouting  "Taboo, 
taboo!"  at  short  intervals,  especially  as  they  neared  any 
group  of  fan-palm  cottages.  The  women  whom  they  met 
fell  on  their  knees  at  once,  till  the  strange  procession  had 
passed  them  by;  the  men  only  bowed  their  heads  tnrice, 
and  made  a  rapid  movement  on  their  breasts  with  their 
fingers,  which  reminded  Muriel  at  once  of  the  sign  of  the 
cross  in  Catholic  countries. 

So  on  they  wended  their  way  in  silence  through  the  deep 
tropical  jungle,  along  a  pathway  just  wide  enougli  for  three 


THE   GREAT   EUiOO. 


37 


say 
but 


ince  ; 
witli 
up  a 
[ward 
itivcs 
[xboo, 
any 
met 
had 
In'ice, 
Ithcir 
the 

Idccp 
hrcc 


to  walk  abreast,  till  they  emerged  suddenly  upon  a  large 
cleared  space,  in  wliuse  midst  grew  a  great  bauyau-trce, 
witii  arms  that  dropped  and  routed  themselves  like  but- 
tresses in  the  scjil  beneath.  Under  the  banyan-tree  a  raised 
platform  stood  upon  posts  of  bamboo.  The  platform  was 
covered  with  fine  network  in  yellow  and  red  ;  and  two  little 
stools  occupied  the  middle,  as  if  placed  there  on  purp(r,e 
and  waiting  fur  their  occupants. 

The  man  who  had  headed  the  first  canoe  turned  round 
to  Felix  and  motioned  him  forward.  "  This  is  Heaven," 
he  said  glibly,  in  liis  own  tongue.      "  Spirits,  ascend  it  !  " 

Felix,  much  wondering  what  the  ceremony  could  mean, 
mounted  the  platform  without  a  word,  in  obedience  to  the 
chief's  command,  closely  followed  by  M.uriel,  who  dared 
not  leave  him  for  a  second. 

"  Bring  water !  "  the  chief  said,  shortly,  in  a  voice  of  au- 
thority to  one  of  his  followers. 

The  man  handed  up  a  calabash  with  a  little  water  in  it. 
The  chief  took  the  rude  vessel  from  his  hands  in  a  reve- 
rential manner,  and  poured  a  few  drops  of  the  contents  on 
Felix's  head  ;  the  water  trickled  do\vn  over  his  hair  and  fore- 
head. Involuntarily,  Felix  shook  his  head  a  little  at  the 
unexpected  wetting,  and  scattered  the  drops  right  and  left 
on  his  neck  and  shoulders.  The  chief  watched  this  per- 
formance attentively  with  profound  satisfaction.  Then  he 
Ci'rncd  to  his  attendants. 

"  The  spirit  shakes  his  head,"  he  said,  with  a  deeply 
:  luvinced  air.  "All  is  well.  Heaven  has  chosen  him. 
Korong!  Korong !  He  is  accepted  for  his  purpose.  It  is 
well  !     It  is  well !     Let  us  try  the  other  one." 

He  raised  the  calabash  once  more,  and  poured  a  few 
drops  in  like  manner  on  Muriel's  dark  hair.  The  poor  girl, 
trembling  in  every  limb,  shook  her  liead  also  in  the  same 
unintentional  fashion.  The  chief  regarded  her  with  still 
more  complacent  eyes. 

"  It  is  well,"  he  observed  once  more  to  his  companions, 
smiling.  "  She,  too,  gives  the  sign  of  acceptance.   Korong .' 


u 


38 


77//';    CKE.l'l'  TABOO. 


Korong  !     Ilcavcn  is  well  pleased  wilh  both.     See  how  her 
body  trembles  !  " 

At  that  moment  a  girl  camo  forward  with  a  little  basket 
of  fruits.  The  chief  chose  a  banana  with  care  frcnn  the 
basket,  peeled  it  with  his  dusky  hands,  bn^ke  it  slowly  in 
tw*),  antl  handed  one  half  very  solemnly  to  Felix. 

"  i^al,  King  of  the  R.ain,"  he  said,  as  he  presented  it. 
''The  offering  of  Heaven." 

Felix  ate  it  at  once,  tlunking  it  best  under  the  circum- 
sLances  not  to  demur  at  all  to  anything  his  strange  hosts 
might  choose  to  impose  upon  him. 

Tiie  chief  handed  the  other  half  just  as  solemnly  to 
iSIuriel.  "  Eat,  Queen  of  the  Clouds,"  he  said,  as  he  placed 
it  in  her  fingers.         ^^'i'"  offering  of  Heaven." 

Muriel  hesitated,  b  lid  n't  know  what  his  words  meant, 
and  it  seemed  to  her  rather  the  offering  of  a  very  dirty  and 
unwashed  savage.  The  chief  eyed  her  hard.  *'  For  God's 
sake  eat  it,  my  child  ;  he  tells  you  to  cat  it !  "  Felix  ex- 
claimed in  haste.  ]Muriel  lifted  it  to  her  lips  and  swallowed 
it  down  with  difTiculty.  The  man's  dusky  hanc'.s  didn't  in- 
spire confidence. 

But  the  cijicf  seemed  relieved  when  he  had  seen  her 
swallow  it.  "  All  is  well  done,"  he  said,  turning  again  to 
his  followers.  "We  have  obeved  the  words  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  and  his  orders  that  he  gave  us.  We  have  offered  the 
strangers,  the  spirits  from  the  sun,  as  a  free  gift  to  Hea- 
ven, and  Heaven  has  accepted  them.  Wc  have  given 
tiu^m  fruits,  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  they  have  duly 
eaten  them.  Korong!  Korong!  The  King  of  the  Rain 
and  the  Ouecn  of  the  Clouds  have  indeed  come  amoncf 
us.  They  are  truly  gods.  We  will  take  them  now,  as  he 
bid  us,  to  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"What  have  they  done  to  us?"  Muriel  asked  aside,  in  a 
terrified  undertone  of  Felix. 

"  I  can't  quite  make  out,"  Felix  answered  in  the  self- 
same voice.  "  They  call  us  the  King  of  the  Rain  and  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  in  their  own  language.     I  th!nk  they 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


30 


imagine  we've  come  from  the  sun  and  that  we're  a  sort  of 
spirits." 

At  the  sound  of  these  words  tlie  girl  who  held  the  bas- 
ket of  fruits  gave  a  sudden  start.  It  almost  seemed  to 
Muriel  as  if  she  understood  them.  But  when  Muriel 
loolvcd  again  she  gave  no  further  sign.  She  merely  lield 
her  peace,  and  tried  to  appear  wliolly  undisconcerted. 

The  chief  beckoned  them  down  from  the  platform  with 
a  wave  of  liis  hand.  They  rose  and  fuHuwcd  him.  As 
tiiey  rose  the  people  around  them  bowed  low  to  the  ground. 
Felix  could  see  they  were  bowing  to  Muriel  and  himself, 
nut  merely  to  the  chief.  A  doubt  llilted  strangely  across 
liis  mind  for  a  moment.  What  could  it  all  mean  ?  Did 
they  take  the  two  strangers,  then,  for  supernatural  beings? 
Had  they  enrolled  them  as  gods?  If  so,  it  might  serve  as 
some  little  protection  for  them. 

The  procession  formed  again,  tlnee  and  three,  three  and 
three,  in  solemn  silence.  Then  the  chief  walked  in  front 
of  them  with  measured  steps,  and  Felix  and  iSIuiiel  fol- 
lowed behind,  wondering.  As  they  went,  the  cry  rose 
louder  and  louder  than  before,  "Taboo!  Taboo!"  Peo- 
ple who  met  them  fell  on  their  faces  at  once,  as  the  chief 
cried  out  in  a  loud  tone,  "  The  King  of  the  Rain  !  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds !  Korong !  Korong !  They  arc 
coming  !     They  are  coming  !  " 

At  last  they  reached  a  second  cleared  space,  standing  in 
a  large  garden  of  manilla,  loquat,  poncians,  and  hibiscus- 
trees.  It  was  entered  by  a  gate,  a  tall  gate  of  bamboo 
posts.  At  the  gate  all  the  followers  fell  back  to  right  and 
left,  awe-struck.  Only  the  chief  went  calmly  on.  He 
beckoned  to  Felix  and  Muriel  to  follow^  him. 

They  entered,  lialf  terrified.  Felix  still  grasped  his  open 
knife  in  his  hand,  readv  to  strike  at  anv  moment  that 
might  be  necessary.  The  chief  led  them  forward  toward 
a  very  large  tree  near  the  centre  of  the  garden.  At  the 
foot  of  the  tree  stood  a  hut,  somewhat  bigger  and  better 
built  than  any  they  had  yet  seen  ;  and  in  front  of  the  trunk 


i 


I  ■.■ 


40 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


■i 


J 
ii' 


\ 


1: 


!i 


a  stalwart  savage,  very  powerfully  built,  but  with  a  sinister 
look  in  his  cruel  and  lustful  eye,  wiis  pacing  up  and  down, 
like  a  sentinel  on  guard,  a  long  spear  in  his  right  hand, 
and  a  tomahawk  in  his  left,  held  close  by  his  side,  all 
ready  for  action.  As  he  prowled  up  and  down  he  seemed 
to  be  peering  warily  about  him  on  every  side,  as  if  each 
instant  he  expected  to  be  set  upon  by  an  enemy.  JJut  as 
the  chief  approached,  the  people  without  set  up  once  more 
the  cry  of  "Taboo!  Taboo!"  and  the  stalwart  savage  by 
the  tree,  laying  down  his  spear  and  letting  his  tomahawk 
fall  free,  dropped  in  a  second  the  air  of  watchful  alarm, 
and  advanced  with  some  courtesy  to  greet  the  new-com- 
ers. 

"We  have  found  them,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  the  chief  said, 
presenting  them  to  the  god  witli  a  graceful  wave  of  his 
hand.  "  We  have  found  the  spirits  that  you  brought  from 
the  sun,  with  the  fire  in  their  hands,  and  the  liglit  in  boxes. 
We  have  taken  them  to  Heaven.  Heaven  has  accepted 
them.  We  have  offered  them  fruit,  and  they  have  eaten 
the  banana.  The  Kinq;  of  the  Rain — the  Queen  of  the 
Clouds  !     Korong  !     Receive  them  !  " 

Tu-Kila-Kila  glanced  at  them  with  an  approving  glance, 
strangely  compounded  of  pleasure  and  terror.  "  They  are 
plump/'  he  said  sliortly.  *'  They  are  indeed  Korong.  My 
sun  has  sent  me  an  acceptable  present." 

"  What  is  your  will  that  we  should  do  with  them?"  the 
chief  asked  in  a  deeply  deferential  tone. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  looked  hard  at  Muriel — such  a  hateful  look 
that  the  knife  trembled  irresolute  for  a  second  in  Felix's 
hand.  "  Give  them  two  fresh  huts,"  he  said,  in  a  lordly 
way.  "  Give  them  divine  platters.  Give  them  all  that 
they  need.     Make  everything  right  for  them." 

The  chief  bowed,  and  retired  with  an  awed  air  from  the 
presence.  Exactly  as  he  passed  a  certain  line  on  the 
ground,  marked  white  with  a  row  cjf  coral-sand,  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  seized  his  sj)ear  and  his  tomahawk  once  more,  and 
mounted  guard,  as  L  Tore,  at  the   foot  of  the  great  tree 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


41 


ix  s 

lly 

hat 


he 
he 
la- 


ree 


where  they  had  seen  him  pacing.  An  instantaneous 
change  seemed  to  Muriel  to  come  over  his  dcmcancjr  at 
tiiat  moment.  While  he  spoke  with  the  chief  she  noticed 
he  looked  all  cruelty,  lust,  and  iiatciul  sclf-indulgcncc. 
Now  that  he  paced  up  and  down  v/arily  in  frc^nt  oi  that 
sacred  lloor,  peering  around  him  with  keen  suspicion,  he 
seemed  rather  the  persunificalion  cjf  watchfulness,  fcai", 
and  a  certain  slavish  bodily  terror.  I'^sprcially,  bhe  oIj- 
served,  he  cast  upon  Felix,  [is  he  went,  a  glance  of  angiv 
hate  ;  and  yet  he  did  not  attempt  lo  l:iiii  or  ukjIcsi  liiiii  in 
any  way,  defenceless  as  they  both  were  hjfore  tho-sc  nunici- 


ous  savages. 


As  they  emerged  from  the  enclosure,  the  girl  with  the 
fruit  basket  stocjd  near  llic  gale,  looking  outward  from  the 
wall,  her  face  turned  away  from  the  awful  home  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  At  the  moment  when  Muriel  passed,  to  her 
immense  astonishment  tlie  girl  spoke  to  her.  "Don't  be 
jifraid,  missy,"  she  said  in  English,  in  a  rather  low  voice, 
without  obtrusively  approaching  them.  "  Boupari  man 
not  going  to  hurt  you.  Me  going  to  be  your  servant.  Me 
name  Mali.  Me  very  good  girh  Me  take  plenty  care  of 
you." 

The  unexpected  sound  of  her  own  language,  in  the  midst 
of  so  much  unmitigated  savagery,  took  Muriel  fairly  by 
surprise.  She  looked  hard  at  the  girl,  but  thought  it 
wisest  to  answer  nothing.  This  particular  young  woman, 
indeed,  was  just  as  dark,  and  to  all  appearance  just  as 
much  of  a  savage,  as  any  of  the  rest  of  them.  But  she 
could  speak  English,  at  any  rate  !  And  she  said  she  was 
to  be  Muriel's  servant ! 

The  chief  led  them  back  to  the  shore,  talking  volubly  all 
the  way  in  Polynesia  to  Felix.  His  dialect  differed  so 
much  from  the  Fijian  tha.  when  he  spoke  first  Felix  could 
hardly  follow  him.  But  he  gathered  vaguely,  neverthe- 
less, that  they  were  to  be  well  housed  and  fed  for  the  pres- 
ent at  the  public  expense  ;  and  even  that  something  which 
the  chief  clearly  regarded  as  a  very  great  honor  was  in 


42 


THE   GRKAT  TABOO, 


V% 


i 


■  il 


i 


store  for  them  in  the  future.  Whatever  these  people's 
l^juticuhir  superstition  migiit  be,  it  seemed  pretty  evident 
lit  least  that  it  told  in  the  strangers'  favor.  Felix  almost 
began  to  liope  they  might  manage  to  live  there  pretty 
tolerably  for  the  next  two  or  three  weeks,  and  perhaps  to 
signal  in  time  to  some  passing  Australian  liner. 

The  rest  of  that  wonderful  eventful  day  was  wholly  oc- 
cupied with  practical  details.  Before  long,  two  adjacent 
iiuts  were  found  for  them,  near  the  shore  of  the  lagoon  ; 
and  Felix  noticed  with  pleasure,  not  only  that  the  huts 
themselves  w^ere  new  and  clean,  but  also  that  the  chief 
took  great  care  to  place  round  both  of  them  a  single  circu- 
lar line  of  white  coral-sand,  like  the  one  he  had  noticed  at 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  palace-temple.  He  felt  sure  this  white  line 
made  the  space  within  taboo.  No  native  would  dare 
without  leave  to  cross  it. 

When  the  line  was  well  marked  out  round  the  two  huts 
together,  the  chief  went  away  for  a  while,  leaving  the 
Europeans  within  their  broad  white  circle,  guarded  by  an 
angry-looking  band  of  natives  with  long  spears  at  rest,  ail 
pointed  inward.  The  natives  themselves  stood  well  with- 
out the  ring,  but  the  points  of  their  spears  almost  reached 
the  line,  and  it  was  clear  they  would  not  for  the  present 
permit  the  Europeans  to  leave  the  charmed  circle. 

Presently,  the  chief  returned  again,  followed  by  two 
other  natives  in  official  costumes.  One  of  them  was  a  tall 
and  handsome  young  man,  dressed  in  a  long  robe  or  cloak 
of  yellow  feathers.  The  other  was  stouter,  and  perhaps 
forty  or  thereabouts  ;  he  wore  a  short  cape  of  white  alba- 
tross plumes,  with  a  girdle  of  shells  at  his  waist,  inter- 
spersed w^th  red  coral. 

"  The  King  of  Fire  will  make  Taboo,"  the  chief  said, 
solemnly. 

The  young  man  with  the  cloak  of  yellow  feathers  stepped 
forward  and  spoke,  toeing  the  line  with  his  left  foot,  and 
brandishing  a  lisfhted   stick  in  his  rieht  hand.     "Taboo! 


Taboo  !     Taboo  ■  "  he  cried  aloud,    with   emphasis. 


(( 


If 


THE  GiaiAr  j'.inoo. 


43 


two 
tall 
;loak 
haps 
al  ba- 
nter- 
said, 

)ped 

and 

Iboo ! 

"If 


any  man  dare;  Lu  transi;rcss  this  line  witlioiit  loavc,  I  burn 
him  to  aslics.  If  ain'  woman,  I  scorch  her  to  a  cimU'r. 
Taboo  to  the  King  of  tlic  Rain  ami  tlic  (Juccn  of  ihc 
Clouds.     Taboo!     Taboo!     Taboo!     ICcn'ong- !     I  say  it." 

lie  stepped  back  imo  the  ranks  with  an  air  of  chily  per- 
formed. Theciiief  lool<ed  about  him  curiously  a  nnjment. 
"The  King  of  Water  will  make  Tabt)o,"  lie  repeated  after 
a  pause,  in  the  same  deep  tone  of  profoiuid  convicuitni. 

The  stouter  man  in  the  short  white  cai)c  stepped  forward 
in  his  turn,  lie  toed  the  line  with  his  naked  left  foot  ;  in 
his  brown  right  liand  he  carried  a  calabash  of  water. 
"Taboo!  Taboo!  Taboo!"  he  exclaimed  aloud,  pouring 
out  tho  water  upon  the  groiuid  symbolically.  "  If  any 
man  dare  to  transgress  this  line  without  leave,  I  drown 
liim  in  his  canoe.  If  any  woman,  I  drag  her  alive  into  the 
spring  as  she  fetches  water.  Taboo  to  the  King  of  the 
Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds.  Taboo  I  Taboo! 
Taboo  !     Korong  !     I  say  it." 

"  What  does  it  all  mean?"  Muriel  whisnered,  terrified. 

Felix  explained  to  her,  as  far  as  he  could,  in  a  few  Inu- 
ricd  sentences.  "  There's  only  one  word  in  it  I  don't 
nnderstand,"  he  added,  hastily,  "and  that's  Korong.  It 
doesn't  occur  in  Fiji.  They  keep  saying  we're  Korong, 
whatever  that  may  mean  ;  and  evidently  they  attach  some 
very  great  Importance  to  it." 

"  Let  the  Shadows  come  forward,"  t!-"  chief  said,  look- 
ing up  with  an  air  of  dignity. 

A  good-looking  young  man,  and  the  girl  who  said  her 
name  was  Mali,  stepped  forth  from  the  crowd,  and  fell  on 
their  knees  before  him. 

The  chief  laid  his  hand  on  t'^e  3'oung  man's  shoulder 
and  laised  him  np.  "The  Shadow  of  the  King  of  the 
Rain,"  he  cried,  turning  him  three  times  round.  "  Fol- 
low him  in  all  liis  incomincfs  and  his  outgoinofs,  and  serve 
him  faithfully !  Taboo!  Taboo!  Pass  within  the  sacred 
circle  ! " 

He  clapped  his  hands.     The  young  man  crossed  the  line 


t 


44 


riri'.    CKF.A7'   TABOO. 


with  a  sort  of  reverent  reluctance,  and  took  his  place  with- 
in tlic  ring,  close  up  to  Felix. 

The  chief  laid  his  hand  on  Mali's  shoulder.  "  The 
Sliadow  of  the  (Jucen  of  the  Clouds,"  he  said,  turning  her 
tlirce  times  round.  "Follow  her  in  all  her  incominQ:s  and 
outgoings,  and  serve  her  faitlifully.  Taboo  !  Taboo ! 
Pass  within  the  sacred  circle  !  " 

Then  he  waved  both  hands  to  Felix.  "Go  where  you 
will  now,"  he  said.  "Your  Shadow  will  follow  you.  You 
are  free  as  the  rain  that  drops  where  it  will.  You  arc  as 
free  as  the  clouds  that  roam  through  heaven.  No  man 
will  hinder  you." 

And  in  a  moment  the  spearmen  dropped  their  spears 
in  concert,  the  crowd  fell  back,  and  the  villagers  dispersed 
as  if  by  magic,  to  their  own  houses. 

But  Felix  and  Muriel  were  left  alone  beside  their  huts, 
guarded  only  in  silence  by  their  two  mystic  Shadows. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


\\s 


FIRST    DAYS    IN    HOUPARI. 

Throughout  that  day  the  natives  brought  them,  from 
time  to  time,  numerous  presents  of  yam,  bananas,  and 
bread-fruit,  neatly  arranged  in  little  palm-leaf  baskets.  A 
few  of  them  brought  eggs  as  well,  and  one  offering  even 
included  a  live  chicken.  But  the  people  who  brought 
them,  and  who  were  mostly  young  girls  just  entering  upon 
womanhood,  did  not  venture  to  cross  the  white  line  of 
coral-sand  that  surrounded  the  huts  ;  they  laid  down  their 
presents,  with  many  salaams,  on  the  ground  outside,  and 
then  waited  with  a  half-startled,  half-reverent  air  for  one 
or  other  of  the  two  Shadows  to  come  out  and  fetch  them. 
As  soon  as  the  baskets  were  carried  well  within  the 
marked  line,  the  young  girls  exhibited  every  sign  of  pleas- 
ure, and  calling  aloud^  "Korong!     Korong  !  " — that  mys- 


77/A'  (;/:/■:.  1 7'  y.i/ux). 


45 


(crious  Pt)lyncsian  word  of  whose  import  I-'clix  wns  igno- 
MuiL — llicy  retired  once  more  by  tortuous  paths  througii 
the  surrounding  jungle. 

"  Why  do  they  bring  us  presents  ?"  Felix  asked  at  last 
(/f  his  Shadow,  after  this  curious  pantomime  had  been 
p,erformed  some  three  or  fcnir  times.  "  Arc  they  always 
going  to  keep  us  in  such  i)lenty  ?" 

The  Shadow  looked  back  at  him  with  an  air  of  consid- 
crable  surprise.  *'  They  bring  presents,  of  course,"  he 
said,  in  his  own  tongue,  "  because  they  are  badly  in  want 
of  rain.  Wc  have  had  much  drought  of  late  in  Boupari  ; 
we  need  water  from  heaven.  The  banana-bushes  wither  ; 
the  flowers  on  the  bread-fruit  tree  do  ncjt  swell  to  bread- 
fruit ;  the  yams  arc  thirsty.  Therehjre  the  fathers  send 
their  daughters  with  presents,  maidens  of  the  villages,  all 
marriageable  girls,  to  ask  for  rainfall.  But  they  will  al- 
ways provide  for  you,  and  also  f(jr  the  Oueen,  however 
you  beliavc  ;  for  you  arc  both  Korong.  Tu-Kila-Kila  has 
said  so,  and  Heaven  has  accepted  you." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  Korong?"  Felix  asked,  with 
some  trepidation. 

The  Shadow  merely  looked  back  at  him  with  a  sort  of 
blank  surprise  that  anybody  should  be  ignorant  of  so  sim- 
ple a  conception.  "Why,  Korong  is  Korong,"  he  an- 
swered, aghast.  "You  arc  Korong  yourself.  The  Queen 
of  the  Clouds  is  Korong,  too.  You  are  both  Korong  ; 
that  is  why  they  all  treat  you  with  such  respect  and  rev- 
erence." 

And  that  was  as  much  as  Felix  could  elicit  by  his  subt- 
lest questions  from  his  taciturn  Shadow. 

In  fact,  it  was  clear  that  in  the  open,  at  least,  the 
Sliadow  was  averse  to  beino:  observed  in  familiar  convcr- 
sation  with  Felix.  During  the  heat  of  the  day,  however, 
when  they  sat  alone  within  the  hut,  he  was  mucli  morc^ 
communicative.  Then  he  launclied  forth  pretty  freely 
into  talk  about  the  island  and  its  life,  which  would  no 
doubt  have  largely  enlightened  Felix,  had  it  not  been  for 


''•'.  I 


■1 


M 


V 


1 


!i    ' 


i 


^l      \ 


•\C> 


THE  cRi'.Ai'  /'.moo. 


two  drawbacks  to  their  means  of  iiitcr-coinnuinication. 
In  the  first  phicc,  tlic  Jioiipari  dialfct,  thou^li  aL;reeing  iu 
all  essentials  with  the  Polynesian  of  Fiji,  nevertheless 
contained  a  grciit  ?nany  words  and  collo(inial  expressions 
unknown  to  tiie  Kijians  ;  this  being-  particularly  the  case, 
as  Felix  soon  remarked,  in  the  wiuile  vocabulary  of  relig- 
ious rites  and  ceremonies.  And  in  the  second  place,  the 
Shadow  was  so  rigidly  bound  by  his  own  narrow  and  insu- 
lar set  of  ideas,  that  he  couldn't  understand  the  difficulty 
Felix  felt  in  throwing  himself  into  them.  Over  and  over 
again,  when  Felix  asked  him  to  explain  some  word  or  cus- 
tom, he  would  repeat,  with  naive  impatience,  "Why,  Ko- 
rong  is  Korong,"  or  "Tula  is  just  Tula;  even  a  child 
must  surely  know  what  Tula  is  ;  much  more  yourself,  who 
are  indeed  Korong,  and  who  have  come  from  the  sun  to 
bring  fresh  fire  to  us." 

In  the  adjoining  hut,  Muriel,  who  was  now  beginning 
in  some  small  degree  to  get  rid  of  her  most  pressing  fea' 
for  the  immediate  future,  and  whom  the  obvious  reality  < 
the  taboo  had  reassured  for  the   moment,  sat  with  Mali, 
her  own  particular  Shadow,  unravelling  the  mystery  of 
the  girl's  knowledge  of  English. 

Mali,  indeed,  like  the  other  Shadow,  showed  every  dis- 
position to  indulge  in  abundant  conversation,  as  soon  as 
she  found  herself  well  within  the  hut,  alone  with  her  mis- 
tress, and  secluded  from  the  prying  eyes  of  all  the  other 
islanders. 

"Don't  you  be  afraid,  missy,"  she  said,  with  genuine 
kindliness  in  her  tone,  as  soon  as  the  gifts  of  yam  and 
bread-fruit  had  all  been  duly  housed  and  garnered.  "  No 
harm  come  to  you.  You  Korong,  you  know.  You  very 
great  Taboo.  Tu-Kila-Kila  send  King  of  Fire  and  King 
of  Water  to  make  taboo  over  you,  so  nobody  hurt  you." 

Muriel  burst  into  tears  at  the  sound  of  her  own  language 
from  those  dusky  lips,  and  exclaimed  through  her  sobs, 
clinging  to  the  girl's  hand  for  comfort  as  she  spoke,  **  Why, 
how  did  you  ever  come  to  speak  English? — tell  me," 


rifL:  i'.RHA'i'  y. //.'(>(>. 


Mali  looked  up  at  her  willi  a  half-aslonislicd  air.  "()!i, 
I  servant  in  (jiiecnshuul,  (A  course,  missy,"  she  aiism  ixd, 
witli  great  composure.  "  J^abor  vessel  come  lo  my  i.^laml, 
far  away,  four,  five  years  ago,  steal  buy,  steal  \V(jman.  My 
papa  just  kill  my  mamma,  because  he  angry  with  lier, 
so  no  want  daugiiters.  So  my  papa  sell  me  and  mv 
sister  for  plenty  rum,  plenty  tobacco,  to  gentlemen  in 
labor  vessel.  Gentlemen  in  l;d)or  vessel  take  Jani  and  nu" 
.'I way,  away,  to  Oneensland.  IJig  sea  ;  long  voyage.  We 
stop  there  three  yam — three  years — do  service  ;  then  great 
chief  in  (juecnsland  send  us  back  to  my  island.  My 
island  too  faraway  ;  gentleman  on  ship  nijt  find  it  out  ;  so 
he  land  us  in  little  boat  on  Boupari.  Ijou[)ari  j)co[)le  make 
temple  slave  of  us."  And  that  was  all  ;  t(j  her  (ptite  a 
commonplace,  everyday  history. 

"  I  see,"  Muriel  cried.  ''  Then  you've  been  for  three 
years  in  Australia!  And  t.icrc  you  learned  I'^ngiish. 
Why,  what  did  you  do  there  ?  " 

Mali  looked  back  at  her  with  the  same  matter-of-fact  air 
of  composure  as  before.  *'  Oh,  mc  nurse  at  first,"  she  said, 
shortly.  **  Then  after,  me  housemaid,  live  three  year  in 
gentleman's  house,  good  gentleman  that  buy  me.  Take 
care  of  little  girl  ;  clean  rooms  ;  do  everything.  i>^^  know 
how  to  make  English  lady  quite  comfortable.  Me  tell  that 
to  chief ;  that  make  him  say,  *  Mali,  you  be  Queenie's 
Shadow.'" 

To  Muriel  in  her  loneliness  even  such  companionship  as 
that  was  indeed  a  consolation.  "Oh,  I'm  so  glad  you  told 
him,"  she  cried.  **  If  we  have  to  stop  here  long,  before  a 
ship  takes  us  off,  it'll  be  so  nice  to  have  you  here  all  tlie 
time  with  me.  You  won't  go  away  from  me  ever,  will  you  ? 
You'll  always  stop  with  me  !  " 

The  girl's  surprise  showed  more  profoundly  than  ever. 
"Me  can't  go  away,"  she  answered,  with  emphasis.  "Me 
your  Shadow.  That  great  Taboo.  Tu-Kila-Kila  great  god. 
If  me  go  away,  Tu-Kila-Kila  kill  me  and  cat  me." 

Muriel  started  back  in  horror.     "  But,  Mali,"  she  said. 


v 


tl 


Hi 


f  I 


i  ii 


1  • 


I 


lit 
(■■\ 


I 


iH; 


I 
I 

I 
i 


f  I 


lii 


;  ( 
\ 


48 


T//E    GREAT   TAl^OO. 


l<j()king  hard  at  the  girl's  pleasant  brown  face,  "if  you 
were  three  years  in  Australia,  you're  a  Christian,  surely  !" 

Tlie  girl  nodded  her  head  in  passive  acquiescence.  "  Me 
Christian  in  Australia,"  she  answered.  "Of  course  me 
Cliristian.  All  folks  make  Christian  when  him  co  to 
Queensland.  That  wliat  for  me  call  Mali,  and  my  sister 
Jani.  We  have  other  names  on  my  own  island  ;  but  wlicn 
we  go  to  Queensland,  gentleman  baptize  us,  call  us  Mali 
and  Jani.  Me  Methodist  in  Queensland.  Methodist  very 
g(jod.  But  Methodist  god  no  live  '.n  Boupari.  Not  any 
good  be  Methodist  here  any  longer.  Tu-Kila-Kila  god 
here.     Him  very  powerful." 

"  What  !  Not  that  dreadful  creature  that  they  took  us 
to  see  this  morning  ! '  Muriel  exclaimed,  in  horror.  "  Oh, 
Mali,  you  can't  mean  to  say  they  think  he's  a  god^  that 
awful  man  there  !  " 

Mali  nodded  her  assent  with  profound  conviction. 
*' Yes,  yes  ;  him  god,"  she  repeated,  confidently.  "Him 
very  powerful.  My  sister  Jani  go  too  near  him  temple, 
ir^ainst  taboo — because  !ier  not  belong-a  Tu-Kila-Kila 
temple  ;  and  last  niglit,  when  it  great  feast,  plenty  men 
catch  Jani,  and  tie  him  up  in  rope  ;  and  Tu-Kila-Kila  kill 
liim,  and  plenty  Boupari  men  help  Tu-Kila-Kila  eat  up 
Jani." 

She  said  it  in  the  same  simple,  matter-oi'-fact  way  as 
she  had  said  that  she  was  a  nurse  for  tiiree  years  in 
Queensland.  To  her  it  was  a  common  incident  of  every- 
day  life.  Such  accidents  will  happen,  if  you  break  taboo 
and  go  too  near  forbidden  temples. 

But  Muriel  drew  back,  and  let  the  pleasant-looking 
brown  girl's  hand  drop  suddenly.  **You  can't  mean  it," 
she  cried.  "  You  can't  nv^an  he's  a  god  !  Such  a  wicked 
man  as  that !     Oh,  his  very  look's  too  horrible. 

Mali  drew  back  in  her  turn  with  a  somewhat  terrified 
air,  and  peeped  suspiciously  around  her,  as  if  to  make  sure 
whether  any  one  was  listening.  "Oh,  husl  ,"  she  said, 
anxiously.     "  Don't  must  talk  like  that.     If  Tu-Kila-Kila 


TIIR   GREAT  TABOO, 


49 


hear,  him  scorch  us  up  to  ashes.  Him  very  great  god  ! 
Him  good  !  Him  powerful !  " 

"  How  can  he  be  good  if  he  does  such  awful  things  ?" 
Muriel  exclaimed,  energetically. 

Mali  peered  around  her  once  more  with  terrified  eyes  in 
the  same  uneasy  way.  "  Take  care,"  she  said  again. 
"  Him  god  !  Him  powerful !  Him  can  do  no  wrong.  Him 
King  of  the  Trees  !  Him  King  of  Heaven  !  On  Boupaii 
island,  Methodist  god  not  much  ;  no  god  so  great  like  Tu- 
Kila-Kila." 

"But  a  man  can't  be  a  god  !"  Muriel  exclaimed,  con- 
temptuously. "  He's  nothing  but  a  man  !  a  savage  !  a 
cannibal ! " 

Mali  looked  back  at  her  in  wondering  surprise.  *'  Not 
in  Queensland,"  she  answered,  calmly — ^to  her,  all  the  world 
naturally  divided  itself  into  Queensland  and  Polynesia — 
"  no  god  in  Queensland.  Governor,  him  very  great  chief  ; 
but  him  no  god  like  Tu-Kila-Kila.  Methodist  god  in  sky, 
him  only  god  that  live  in  Queensland.  But  no  use  worship 
Methodist  god  over  here  in  Boupari.  Him  no  live  here. 
Tu-Kila-Kila  live  here.  All  god  here  make  out  of  man. 
Live  in  man.  Korong  !  What  for  you  say  a  man  can't  be 
a  god  !  You  god  yourself !  White  gentleman  there,  god ! 
Korong,  Korong.  Chief  put  you  in  Heaven,  so  make  you 
a  god.  People  pray  to  you  now.  People  bring  you  pres- 
ents." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,"  Muriel  cried,  **  they  bring  me 
these  things  because  they  think  me  a  goddess  ? " 

Mali  nodded  a  grave  assent.  "  Same  like  people  give 
money  in  churcli  in  Queensland,"  she  answered,  piomptly. 
"  Ask  you  makj  rain,  make  plenty  crop,  make  bread-fruit 
grow,  make  banana,  make  plantain.  You  Korong  now. 
While  your  time  last,  Queenie,  people  give  you  plenty  of 
present." 

"While  my  time  last?"  Muriel  repeated,  with  a  cu- 
rious sense  of  discomfort  creeping  over  her  slowly. 

The  girl  nodded  an  easy  assent.     *'  Yes,  while  your  time 


\%'M 


ui'l 


1  ' 


]\ 


I- 


n 


50 


T/i/i    GREAT  TABOO. 


last,"  she  answered,  laying  a  small  bundle  of  palm-leaves 
at  Muriers  back  by  way  of  a  cushion.  "  For  now  you  Ko- 
rong.  By  and  by,  Korong  pass  to  somebody  else.  This 
year,  you  Korong.     So  people  worship  you." 

But  nothing  that  Muriel  could  say  would  induce  the 
^irl  further  to  explain  her  meaning.  She  shook  her  head 
and  looked  very  wise.  "When  a  god  come  into  some- 
body," she  said,  nodding  toward  Muriel  in  a  mysterious 
way,  "  tlien  him  god  himself ;  him  Korong.  When  the 
god  go  away  from  him,  him  Korong  no  longer  ;  somebody 
else  Korong.  Quecnie  Korong  now  ;  so  people  worship 
him.     While  him  time  last,  people  plenty  kind  to  him." 

The  day  passed  away,  and  night  came  on.  As  it  ap- 
proached, heavy  clouds  drifted  up  from  eastward.  Mali 
busied  herself  with  lavins:  out  a  rouGfh  bed  in  the  hut  for 
Muriel,  and  making  her  a  pillow  of  soft  moss  and  the  curi- 
ous lichen-like  material  thr,.t  hangs  parasitic  from  the 
trees,  and  is  commonly  known  as  "old  man's  beard." 
As  both  Mali  and  Felix  assured  her  confidently  no  harm 
would  come  to  her  within  so  strict  a  Taboo,  Muriel,  worn 
out  with  fatigue  and  terror,  lay  down  at  last  and  slept 
soundly  on  this  native  substitute  for  a  bedstead.  She  slept 
without  dreaming,  while  Mali  lay  at  her  feet,  ready  at  a 
moment's  call.  It  was  all  so  strange  ;  and  yet  she  was  too 
utterly  wearied  to  do  otherwise  than  sleep,  in  spite  of  her 
strange  and  terrible  surroundings. 

Felix  slept,  too,  for  some  hours,  but  woke  with  a  start 
in  the  night.  It  was  raining  heavily.  He  could  hear  tiie 
loud  patter  of  a  fierce  tropical  shower  on  the  roof  of  his 
hut.  His  Shadow,  at  his  feet,  slept  still  unmoved  ;  but 
when  Felix  rose  on  his  elbow,  the  Shadow  rose  on  a  sud- 
den, too,  and  confronted  him  curiously.  Tlie  young  man 
heard  the  rain  ;  then  he  bowed  down  his  face  witli  an 
awed  air,  not  visible,  but  audible,  in  tlic  still  darkness. 
"It  has  come!"  he  said,  with  superstitious  terror.  "It 
has  come  at  last !  mv  .ofd  has  brought  it ! " 

After  that,  Felix  lay  awake  for  some  hours,  hearing  the 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


51 


rain  on  the  roof,  and  puzzled  in  his  own  head  by  a  lialf- 
inicertain  memory.  Wliat  was  it  in  his  school  reading 
that  that  ceremony  with  the  water  indefinitely  reminded 
him  ol  ?  Wasn't  there  some  Greek  or  Roman  superstition 
about  shaking  your  head  when  wnter  was  poured  upon 
ii  ?  Wiiat  could  tliat  superstition  be,  and  what  light  might 
it  cast  on  that  mysterious  ceremony  ?  lie  wished  he 
could  remember  ;  but  it  was  so  long  since  he'd  read  it, 
and  he  never  cared  much  at  school  for  Greek  or  Roman 
antiquities. 

Suddenly,  in  a  lull  of  the  rain,  the  whole  context  at 
once  came  back  with  a  rush  to  him.  He  remembered  now 
he  had  read  it,  some  time  or  other,  in  some  classical  dic- 
tionary. It  was  a  custom  connected  with  Greek  sacrifices. 
The  officiating  priest  poured  water  or  wine  (Hi  the  head  of 
the  sheep,  bullock,  or  other  victim.  If  the  victim  shook 
its  head  and  knocked  off  the  drops,  that  was  a  sign  that 
it  was  fit  for  the  sacrifice,  and  that  the  god  accepted  it. 
If  the  victim  trembled  visiblv,  tliat  was  a  most  favorable 
omen.  If  it  stood  quite  still  and  didn't  move  its  neck, 
then  the  god  rejected  it  as  unfit  for  jiis  purpose.  Couldn't 
that  be  the  meaning  of  the  ceremony  performed  on  Muriel 
and  himself  in  "Heaven"  nt  morning?  Were  they 
merely  intended  as  human  sacrifices?  Were  they  t"  be 
kept  meanwhile  and,  as  it  were,  fed  up  lor  tlie  slaughter? 
It  was  too  horrible  to  believe  ;  yet  it  almost  looked  like 
it. 

He  wished  he  knew  the  meaning  of  that  strange  word, 
"  Korong."  Ciearly,  it  contained  the  true  key  to  the  mys- 
tery. 

Anyhow,  he  had  always  his  trusty  knife.  If  ''  worst 
came  to  the  worst — those  wretches  should  never  harm  his 
spotless  Muriel. 

For  he  loved  her  to-night  ;  he  would  watch  over  and 
protect  her.  He  would  save  her  at  least  from  the  deadliest 
of  insults. 


:,    5 


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!    ; 


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52  yy/A'    (JREAT  TABOO. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

INTERCHANGE   OF   CIVILITIES. 

All  niglit  long,  without  intci  mission,  the  heavy  tropical 
rain  descended  in  torrents  ;  at  sunrise  it  ceased,  and  a 
bright  blue  vault  of  sky  stood  in  a  spotless  dome  over  tlie 
ishuid  of  Boupari. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  was  well  iisen,  and  the  rain  had 
ceased,  one  shy  native  girl  after  another  came  straggling 
up  timidly  to  the  white  line  that  marked  the  tabocj  round 
Felix  and  Muriel's  huts.  They  came  v.i'h  more  baskets 
of  fruit  and  eggs.  Humbly  saluting  tiirce  times  as  they 
drew  near,  they  laid  down  their  gifts  Uiodestly  just  outside 
the  line,  with  many  loud  ejaculations  of  praise  and  grati- 
tude to  the  gods  in  their  own  language. 

"What  do  they  say?"  Muriel  asked,  in  a  dazed  and 
frightened  way,  looking  out  of  the  hut  door,  and  turning 
in  wonder  to  Mali. 

"They  say,  'Thank  you,  Quccnic,  for  rain  and  fruits,"* 
Mali  answered,  unconcerned,  bustling  about  in  the  hut. 
"  Missy  v.-ant  to  wash  him  face  and  hands  this  morning? 
Lady  always  wash  every  day  over  yonder  in  Queensland." 

Muriel  nodded  assent.  It  was  ^U  so  strange  to  her. 
But  Mali  went  to  the  door  and  occkoned  carelessly  to 
one  of  tlie  native  girls  just  outside,  who  drew  near  the 
line  at  the  summons,  with  a  somewhat  frightened  aii-, 
putting  one  finger  to  lier  mouth  in  coyly  unce'tam  savage 
fashion. 

"  Fetch  me  water  from  the  spring  !"  Mali  said,  authori- 
tatively, in  Polynesian.  Without  a  moment's  delay  the 
girl  darted  off  at  the  top  of  her  speed,  and  soon  returned 
with  a  large  calabash  full  of  fresh  cool  water,  which 
she  lay  down  respectfully  by  the  taboo  line,  n  jt  daring  to 
cross  it. 

"  Why  didn't  you  get  it  yourself  ? "   Muriel  asked  of 


!('! 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


S3 


'\\ 


her  Shadow,  rather  relieved  than  otherwise  that  Mali 
hadn't  left  her.  It  was  sometliing  in  these  dire  straits  lo 
have  somebody  always  near  who  could  at  least  speak  a 
little  English. 

Mali  started  back  in  surprise.  "  Oh,  that  would  never 
do,"  she  answered,  catching  a  colloquial  -^hrase  she  had 
(^ften  heard  long  bjforc  in  Queensland.  "  Me  missy's 
Shadow.  That  great  Taboo.  If  me  go  away  out  of 
missy's  sight,  very  big  sin — very  big  danger.  Man-a-Bou- 
pari  catch  me  and  kill  mc  like  Jani,  for  no  me  stop  and 
wait  all  the  time  on  missy.  ' 

It  as  clear  that  human  life  was  held  very  cheap  on  the 
island  of  Boupari. 

Muriel  made  her  scanty  toilet  in  the  hut  as  well  as  she 
was  able,  \vith  the  calabash  and  water,'  aided  by  a  rough 
shell  comb  which  Mali  had  provided  for  her.  Then  she 
breakfasted,  not  ill,  off  eggs  and  fruit,  which  Mali  cooked 
with  some  rude  native  skill  over  the  open-air  fire  without 
ia  the  precincts. 

After  breakfast,  Felix  came  in  to  inquire  how  she  had 
])asscd  the  night  in  her  new  quarters.  Already  Muriel 
felt  how  odd  was  the  contrast  between  the  quiet  politeness 
of  his  manner  as  an  English  gentleman  and  the  strange 
savage  surroundings  in  which  they  both  now  found  them- 
selves. Civilization  is  an  attribute  of  communities  ;  we 
necessarily  leave  it  behind  when  we  find  ourselves  isolated 
among  barbarians  or  savages.  But  cidture  is  a  purely 
personal  and  individual  possession  ;  we  carry  it  with  lis 
vrherever  we  go  ;  and  no  circumstances  of  life  can  ever 
deprive  us  of  it. 

As  they  sat  there  talking,  with  a  deep  and  abiding  sense 
of  awe  at  the  change  (Muriel  more  conscious  than  ever 
now  of  how  deep  was  her  interest  in  Felix  Thurstan,  who 
represented  for  her  all  tliat  w\as  dearest  and  best  in  Eng- 
land), a  curious  noise,  as  of  a  discordant  drum  or  tom-tom, 
beaten  in  a  sort  of  recurrent  tune,  was  heard  toward  the 
hills  ;  and  at  its  very  first  sound  both  the  Shadows,  iling- 


V  if, 

r 


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ill 


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54 


r/J/':   GREAT  TAIWO. 


iuLj  tlicmsclvcs  upon  their  f;iccs  with  every  sign  of  tenor, 
entlc.'ivored  to  liidc  themselves  under  the  native  mats  with 
whicli  the  bare  little  hut  was  roughly  earpctcd. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?"  Felix  cried,  in  English,  to  iNIali  ; 
for  Muriel  had  already  explained  to  him  how  the  girl  had 
nicked  up  some  knowledge  of  our  tongue   in  (Jueensland. 

Mali  trembled  in  every  limb,  so  that  she  could  liardly 
speak.  '*  Tu-Kila-Kila  come,"  she  answered,  all  breath- 
less. "No  blackfellow  look  at  him.  Burn  blackfellow 
up.  You  and  JNIissy  Korong.  All  right  for  you.  Go  out 
to  meet  him  !" 

"Tu-Kila-Kila  is  coming,''  tiie  young  man-Shadow  said, 
in  Polynesian,  almost  in  the  same  breath,  and  no  less 
tren'udously.  *'  We  dare  not  look  upon  his  face  lest  he 
buvn  us  to  ashes.  He  is  a  very  great  Taboo.  His  face  is 
fire.     But  you  two  are  gods.     Step  forth  to  receive  him." 

Felix  took  jNIuriel's  hand  in  his,  somewhat  trembling 
himself,  and  led  her  forth  on  to  the  open  space  in  front  of 
the  huts  to  meet  the  man-god.  She  followed  him  like  a 
child.  She  was  woman  enough  for  that.  She  had  implicit 
trust  in  him. 

As  they  emerged,  a  strange  procession  met  tlieir  eyes 
unawares,  coming  down  the  zig-zag  path  that  led  from  the 
hills  to  the  shore  of  the  lagoon,  where  their  huts  were 
situated.  At  its  head  marched  two  men — tall,  straight, 
and  supple — w'earing  huge  feather  masks  over  their  faces, 
and  beating  tom-toms,  decorated  with  long  strings  of  shiny 
cowries.  After  them,  in  order,  came  a  sort  of  hollow 
square  of  chiefs  or  warriors,  surrounding  with  fan-palms 
a  central  object  all  shrouded  from  the  view  witii  the  ut- 
most precaution.  This  central  object  was  covered  witli  a 
luige  regal  umbrella,  from  whose  edge  hung  rows  of  small 
nautilus  and  other  shells,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  screen,  like 
the  Japanese  portieres  now  so  common  in  English  door- 
ways. Two  supporters  held  it  up,  one  on  either  side,  in 
long  cloaks  of  feathers.  Under  the  umbrella,  a  man 
seemed  to  move ;  and  as  he  approached,  the  natives,    to 


THE    CREAT  TAliOO. 


55 


lall 
ike 
or- 

in 
lan 

to 


rii^lit  and  left,  fled  precipitately  to  their  huts,  snatching  up 
their  naked  little  ones  from  the  ground  as  they  went,  and 
crying  aloud,  "Taboo,  Taboo!  lie  comes!  he  comes. 
Tu-Kila-Kila!     Tu  Kila-Kila  !  " 

.  Tiie  procession  wound  slowly  on,  unheeding  these  com- 
mon creatures,  till  it  reached  the  huts.  Then  the  chiefs 
who  formed  tiie  hollow  square  fell  back  one  by  one,  and 
the  man  under  the  umbrella,  with  his  two  siip[)(jrters, 
i:-A\x\^::  forward  boldly.  Felix  noticed  that  they  crossed 
without  scruple  the  thick  white  line  of  sand  which  all  the 
other  natives  so  carefully  respected.  The  man  within  the 
lunbrella  drew  aside  the  curtain  of  hanging  nautilus  shells. 
His  face  was  covered  with  a  thin  mask  of  paper  nuilberry 
bark  ;  but  Felix  knew  he  was  the  self-same  person  whom 
they  had  seen  the  day  before  in  the  central  temple. 

Tu-Kila-Kila's  air  was  more  insolent  and  arrogant  than 
even  before.  He  was  clearly  in  high  spirits.  *'  You  have 
done  well,  O  King  of  the  Rain,"  h :•  Enid,  turning  gayly  to 
Felix  ;  "and  you  too,  O  Oneen  of  the  Clouds;  you  have 
done  right  bravely.  We  have  all  acquitted  ourselves  as 
our  people  would  wish.  We  have  made  our  sliowers  to 
descend  abundantly  from  heaven  ;  we  have  caused  the  crops 
to  grow  ;  we  have  wetted  the  plantain  bushes.  See  ;  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,  who  is  so  great  a  god,  has  come  from  his  own 
home  on  the  hills  to  greet  you." 

*'  It  has  certainly  rained  in  the  night,"  Felix  answered, 
dryly. 

But  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  not  to  be  put  off  thus.  Adjusting 
liis  thin  mask  or  veil  of  bark,  so  as  to  hide  his  face  more 
thoroughly  from  the  inferior  god,  he  turned  round  once 
more  to  the  chiefs,  who  even  so  hardly  dared  to  look  openly 
upon  him.  Then  he  struck  an  attitude.  The  man  was 
clearly  bursting  with  spiritual  pride.  He  knew  himself  to 
be  a  god,  and  was  fdlcd  with  the  insolence  of  his  super- 
natural power.  "See,  my  people,"  he  cried,  holding  up 
his  hands,  palm  outward,  in  his  accustomed  god-like  way  ; 
"  I  am   indeed  a  great  deity— Lord  of  Heaven,  Lord  of 


t,i 


i'l; 


V  m 


% 


so 


Tim   GREAT  TABOO. 


?i 


|H 


t 


Earth,  Life  of  the  World,  Master  of  Tunc,  ^leasurcr  of  the 
Sun's  Course,  Sp.rit  of  Gruwtli,  Creator  of  the  Harvest, 
Master  of  Mortals,  Bcstower  of  Breath  upon  Men,  Ciiicf 
Pillar  of  Heaven  !  " 

The  warriors  bowed  down  before  their  bloated  master 
with  unquestioning  assent.  "  Giver  of  Life  to  all  the  host 
of  the  gods,"  they  eried,  "you  are  indeed  a  mighty  one. 
Weigher  of  the  equipoise  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  we 
acknowledge  your  might ;  we  give  you  thanks  eternally." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  swelled  with  visible  importance.  "Did 
I  not  tell  you,  my  meat,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  would  bring 
you  new  gods,  great  spirits  from  the  sun,  fetchers  of  fire 
from  my  bright  home  in  tlie  heavens  ?  And  have  they  not 
come  ?  Are  they  not  here  to-day  ?  Have  tiiey  not  brought 
the  precious  gift  of  fresh  fire  with  them  ? " 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks  true,"  the  chiefs  echoed,  submis- 
sively, with  bent  lieads. 

"Did  I  not  make  one  of  them  King  of  the  Rain  ?"  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  asked  once  more,  stretching  one  hand  toward 
the  sky  with  theatrical  magnificence.  "  Did  I  not  declare 
the  other  Queen  of  the  Clouds  in  Heaven  ?  And  have  1 
not  caused  them  to  bring  down  showers  this  night  upon 
our  crops  ?  Has  not  the  dry  earth  drunk  r  Am  I  not  the 
great  god,  the  Saviour  of  Boupari  ? " 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  says  well,"  the  chiefs  responded,  once 
more,  in  unanimous  chorus. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  struck  another  attitude  with  childish  self- 
satisfaction.  "  I  go  into  the  hut  to  speak  with  my  minis- 
ters," he  said,  grandiloquently.  "  Fire  and  Water,  wait 
you  here  outside  while  I  enter  and  speak  with  my  friends 
from  the  sun,  whom  I  have  brought  for  the  salvation  of 
the  crops  to  Boupari." 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  supporting 
the  umbrella,  bowed  assent  to  his  words.  Tu-Kila-Kila 
motioned  Felix  and  Muriel  into  the  nearest  hut.  It  was 
the  one  where  the  two  Shadows  lay  crouching  in  terror 
among  the  native  mats,     As  the  god  tried  to  enter,  the 


THI'.    GREAT  TAHOO. 


57 


H    il 

h 


two  cowering  wretches  set  up  a  loud  sbout,  "laboo! 
Taboo  !  Mercy  !  Mercy  '  Mercy  !  "  Tu-Ki'a-Kila  retreated 
with  a  contemptuous  stnile.  "I  want  to  sec  you  alone," 
he  said,  in  Polynesian,  to  Felix.  "  Is  the  otlier  hut  empty  ? 
If  not,  go  in  and  cut  their  throats  whe  sit  there,  and  make 
the  place  a  solitude  for  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"There  is  no  one  in  the  hut,"  Felix  answered,  with  a 
nod,  concealing  his  disgust  at  the  command  as  far  as  he 
was  able. 

"  That  is  well,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  answered,  and  walked  into 
it  carelessly.  Felix  followed  him  close  and  deemed  it  best 
to  make  Muriel  enter  also. 

As  soon  as  they  were  alone,  Tu-Kila-Kila's  manner  al- 
tered greatly.  "Come,  now,"  he  said,  quite  genially,  yet 
with  a  curious  under-current  of  hate  'in  his  steely  gray 
eye  ;  "  we  three  are  all  gods.  We  who  are  in  heaven  need 
have  no  secrets  from  one  another.  Tell  me  the  truth  ;  did 
you  really  come  to  us  direct  from  the  sun,  or  are  you  sail- 
ing gods,  dropped  from  a  great  canoe  belonging  to  the 
warriors  who  seek  laborers  for  the  white  men  in  the  dis- 
tant country  ? " 

Felix  told  him  briefly,  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  the 
story  of  their  arrival. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  listened  with  lively  interest,  then  he  said, 
very  decisively,  with  great  bravado,  "It  was  /  who  made 
the  big  wave  wash  your  sister  overboard.  I  sent  it  to  your 
ship.  I  wanted  a  Korong  just  now  in  Boupari.  It  was  1 
who  brought  you." 

**You  are  mistaken,"  Felix  said,  simply,  not  thinking  it 
worth  while  to  contradict  him  further.  "  It  was  a  purely 
natural  accident." 

"Well,  tell  me,"  the  savage  god  went  on  once  more, 
eying  him  close  and  sharp,  "  they  say  you  have  brought 
fresh  fire  from  the  sun  with  you,  and  that  you  know  how 
to  make  it  burst  out  like  lightning  at  will.  My  people 
have  seen  it.  They  tell  me  the  wonder.  I  wish  to  see  it 
too.     We  are  all  gods  here  ;  we  need  have  no  secrets. 


m 


M* 


*;•  ( 


i 


i. 


58 


yy/Zi'  u A' /■:.!/'  taboo. 


Only,  I  didn't  want  to  let  those  common  people  outside  sec 
1  asked  you  to  show  me.  Make  fiie  leap  forth.  I  desire 
to  behold  it." 

Felix  took  out  the  match-box  from  his  pocket,  and  struck 
a  vesta  carefully.  Tu-Kila  Kila  looked  on  with  profound 
interest.  "It  is  wonderful,"  he  said,  taking  the  vesta  in 
his  own  hand  as  it  burned,  and  examining  it  closely.  **  I 
have  heard  of  this  before,  but  I  have  never  seen  it.  You 
are  indeed  gods,  you  white  men,  you  sailors  of  the  sea." 
lie  glanced  at  Muriel.  "And  the  woman,  too,"  he  said, 
with  a  horrible  leer,  "  the  woman  is  pretty." 

Felix  took  the  measure  of  his  man  at  once.  He  opened 
his  knife,  and  held  it  up  threateningly.  "  See  here,  fel- 
low,'.' he  said,  in  a  low,  slow  tone,  but  with  great  decision, 
"  if  you  dare  to  speak  or  look  like  that  at  that  lady — god 
or  no  god,  I'll  drive  this  knife  straight  up  to  the  handle  in 
your  heart,  though  your  people  kill  me  for  it  afterward  ten 
thousand  times  over.  I  am  not  afraid  of  you.  These  sav- 
ages may  be  afraid,  and  may  think  you  are  a  god  ;  but  if 
you  arc,  then  I  am  a  god  ten  thousand  times  stronger  than 
you.  One  more  word — one  more  look  like  that,  I  say — and 
I  plunge  i.his  knife  remorselessly  into  you." 

Tu-Kiia-Kila  drew  back,  and  smiled  benignly.  Stalwart 
ruffian  as  he  was,  and  absolute  master  of  his  own  people's 
lives,  he  was  yet  afraid  in  a  way  of  the  strange  new-comer. 
Vague  stories  of  the  men  with  white  faces — the  **  sailing 
gods  " — had  reached  him  from  time  to  time  ;  and  though 
only  twice  within  his  memory  had  European  boats  landed 
on  his  island,  he  yet  knew  enough  of  the  race  to' know  that 
they  were  at  least  very  powerful  deities — more  powerful 
with  their  weapons  than  even  he  was.  Besides,  a  man  who 
could  draw  down  fire  from  heaven  with  a  piece  of  wax  and 
a  little  metal  box  might  surely  wither  him  to  ashes,  if  he 
would,  as  he  stood  before  him.  The  very  fact  that  Felix 
bearded  him  thus  openly  to  his  face  astonished  and  some- 
what terrified  the  superstitious  savage.  Everybody  else  on 
the  island  was  afraid  of  him  :  then  certainly  a  nian  VvIiq 


/•///■;  (.Ri.Ar  lAiioo. 


59 


was  not  afraid  must  be  tlic  possessor  of  some  most  effica- 
cious and  magical  medicine.  His  one  fear  now  was  lest  his 
followers  should  hear  and  discover  his  discomfiture.  He 
peered  about  him  cautiously,  with  that  careful  gleam  shin- 
ing bright  in  his  eye  ;  then  he  said  with  a  leer,  in  a  very 
low  voice,  "  We  two  need  not  quarrel.  We  are  botii  of  us 
gods.  Neither  of  us  is  the  stronger.  We  are  equal,  that's 
all.  Let  us  live  like  brothers,  not  like  enemies,  on  the 
island." 

*'  I  don't  want  to  be  your  brother,"  Felix  answered,  un- 
able to  conceal  his  loathing  any  more.  "  I  hate  and  detest 
y(jii. 

"What  does  he  say  ?"  Muriel  asked,  in  an  agony  of  fear 
at  the  savage's  black  looks.     "  Is  he  gohig  to  kill  us  ?" 

"No,"  Felix  answered,  boldly.  "I  think  he's  afraid  of 
us.     He's  going  to  do  nothing.     You  needn't  fear  him." 

"Can  she  not  speak  ?  "  tlie  savage  asked,  pointing  with 
his  finger  somewhat  rudely  toward  Muriel.  '*  Has  she  no 
voice  but  this,  tlie  chatter  of  birds  ?  Does  she  not  know 
the  human  lanofuacce  ?  " 

"She  can  speak,"  Felix  replied,  placing  himself  like  a 
shield  between  Muriel  and  the  astonished  savage.  "  Slie 
can  speak  the  language  of  the  people  of  our  distant  coun- 
try— a  beautiful  language  which  is  as  far  superior  to  the 
speech  of  the  brown  men  of  Polynesia  as  the  sun  in  the 
heavens  is  superior  to  the  light  of  a  candlenut.  But  she 
can't  speak  the  wretched  tongue  of  you  Boupari  cannibals. 
I  thank  Heaven  she  can't,  for  it  saves  her  from  understand- 
ing the  hateful  things  your  people  would  say  of  her.  Now 
go !  I  have  seen  already  enough  of  you.  I  am  not  afraid. 
Remember,  I  am  as  powerful  a  god  as  you.  I  need  not 
fear.     You  cannot  hurt  me." 

A  baleful  light  gleamed  in  the  cannibal's  eye.  But  he 
thought  it  best  to  temporize.  Powerful  as  he  was  on  his 
island,  there  was  one  thing  yet  more  powerful  by  far  than 
he  ;  and   tl:at  was   Taboo— the   custom    and   superstition 

hnnclccl  down  from  his  ancestors,    Thosg  strapgers  were 


;  :'  |l 


ih 


i.  I 


60 


Tirr.  CRr.AT  T.inoo. 


Korong  ;  he  dare  not  touch  thcin,  except  in  the  way  and 
manner  and  time  appointed  by  custom.  If  lie  did,  god  as 
he  was,  his  people  themselves  would  turn  and  rend  him. 
He  was  a  god,  but  he  was  bound  on  every  side  by  the 
strictest  taboos.  He  dare  not  himself  offer  violence  to 
Felix. 

So  he  turned  with  a  smile  and  bided  his  time.  He  knew 
it  would  come.  lie  could  afford  to  laugh.  Then,  going 
to  the  door,  he  said,  with  his  grand  affable  manner  to  his 
chiefs  around,  "  I  have  spoken  with  the  gods,  my  ministers, 
within.  They  have  kissed  my  hands.  My  rain  has  fallen. 
All  is  well  in  the  land.  Arise,  let  us  go  away  hence  to  my 
temple." 

The  savages  put  themselves  in  marching  order  at  once. 
"  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,"  they  said,  reverently.  "  Let  us 
take  back  Tu-Kila-Kila  to  his  temple  home.  Let  us  escort 
the  lord  of  the  divine  umbrella.  Wherever  he  is,  there 
trees  and  plants  put  forth  green  leaves  and  flourish.  At 
liis  bidding  flowers  bloom  and  springs  of  water  rise  up  in 
fountains.     His  presence  diffuses  heavenly  blessings." 

"  I  think,"  Felix  said,  turning  to  poor,  terrified  Muriel, 
"I've  sent  the  wretch  away  with  a  bee  in  his  bonnet." 


CHAPTER  Vin. 


THE   CUSTOMS   OF    UOUPARI. 

Human  nature  cannot  always  keep  on  the  full  stretch  of 
excitement.  It  was  wonderful  to  both  Felix  and  Muriel 
how  soon  they  settled  down  into  a  quiet  routine  of  life  on 
the  island  of  Boupari.  A  week  passed  away — two  weeks 
— three  weeks — and  t'''e  chances  of  release  seemed  to  grow 
slenderer  and  slenderer.  All  they  could  do  now  was  to 
wait  for  the  stray  accident  of  a  passing  ship,  and  then  try, 
if  possible,  to  siq;nal  it,  or  to  put  out  to  it  in  a  canoe,  if  the 
natives  would  allow  them. 


Tiih:  i:i<i:.\r  taboo. 


6i 


Meanwhile,  their  lives  for  the  moment  seemed  fairly 
safe.  Thougli  for  ihc  first  few  days  they  lived  in  eonstant 
alarm,  this  feelinj^^  after  a  time,  gave  way  to  one  of  com- 
parative security.  The  strange  institution  of  Taboo  pro- 
tected them  more  elhcicntly  in  their  wattled  huts  than  the 
whole  police  force  ui  London  could  have  done  in  a  IJel- 
gravian  mansion.  There  thieves  break  through  and  steal, 
in  spite  of  bolts  and  bars  and  metropolitan  constables  ; 
but  at  Boupari  no  native,  however  daring  or  however 
wicked,  would  ever  venture  to  transgress  the  narrow  line 
of  white  coral  sand  which  protected  the  castaways  like  an 
intann-ible  wall  from  all  outer  interference.  Within  this 
impalpable  ring-fence  they  were  abst)lutely  safe  from  all 
rude  intrusion,  save  that  of  tlie  two  Shadows,  who  waited 
upon  them,  day  and  night,  with  unfailiiig  willingness. 

In  other  respects,  considering  tlic  circumstances,  their 
life  was  an  easy  one.  The  natives  brought  them  freely  of 
their  simple  store — yam,  taro,  bread-fruit,  and  cocoanut, 
wdth  plenty  of  fish,  crabs,  and  lobsters,  as  well  as  eggs  by 
the  basketful,  and  even  sometimes  chickens.  They  re- 
quired no  pay  beyond  a  nod  and  a  smile,  and  went  away 
happy  at  those  slender  recognitions.  Felix  discovered,  in 
fact,  that  they  had  got  into  a  rcgicjn  where  the  arid  gen- 
eralizations of  political  economy  do  not  apply  ;  where 
Adam  Smith  is  unread,  and  iNIill  neglected;  where  the 
medium  of  exchange  is  an  unknown  quantity,  and  where 
suj^ply  and  demand  readjust  themselves  continuously  by 
simpler  and  more  generous  principles  than  the  familiar 
European  one  of  "  tlie  higgling  of  the  market." 

The  peoj)le,  too,  though  utter  savages,  were  not  in  their 
own  way  altogether  unpleasing.  It  was  their  customs  and 
superstitions,  rather  than  themselves,  that  were  so  cruel 
and  liorrible.  Personallv,  tliey  seemed  for  the  most  part 
simple-minded  and  good  naturcd  creatures.  At  first,  in- 
deed, Muriel  wns  afraid  to  venture  for  a  step  beyond  the 
precincts  of  their  own  huts  ;  and  it  was  long  before  she 
could  make  up  her  mind  to  go  alone  through  the  jungle 


!:  )l 


■  ( 


) 


w 


% 


62 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


I 


ii;!i   ;* 


IHi^ 


till  -'ii 


II 


paths  with  Mali,  unaccompanied  by  Felix.  But  by  de- 
grees she  learned  that  she  could  walk  by  herself  (of 
course,  with  the  inevitable  Sliadow  ever  by  her  side)  over 
the  whole  island,  and  meet  everywhere  with  nothing  from 
men,  women,  and  children  but  the  utmost  respect  and 
gracious  courtesy.  The  young  lads,  as  she  passed,  would 
St  uid  aside  from  the  path,  with  downcast  eyes,  and  let  her 
go  by  with  all  the  politeness  of  chivalrous  English  gentle- 
men. The  old  men  would  raise  their  eyes,  but  cross  their 
hands  on  their  breasts,  and  stand  motionless  for  a  few 
minutes  till  she  got  almost  out  of  sight.  The  women 
would  bring  their  pretty  brown  babies  for  the  fair  Eng- 
lish lady  to  admire  or  to  pat  on  the  head  ;  and  when  Mu- 
riel .now  and  again  stooped  down  to  caress  some  fat  little 
naked  child,  lolling  in  the  dust  outside  the  hut,  with  true 
tropical  laziness,  the  mothers  would  run  up  at  the  sight 
with  delight  and  joy,  and  throw  themselves  down  in  ec- 
stacies  of  gratitude  for  the  notice  she  had  taken  of  their 
favored  little  ones.  "  The  gods  of  Heaven,"  they  would 
say,  with  every  sign  of  pleasure,  "  have  looked  graciously 
upon  our  CJnaloa." 

At  first  Felix  and  Muriel  were  mainly  struck  with  the 
politeness  -^nd  deference  which  the  natives  displayed 
toward  them.  But  after  a  time  Felix  at  least  began  to 
observe,  behind  it  all,  that  a  certain  amount  of  affection, 
and  even  of  something  like  commiseration  as  well,  seemed 
to  be  mingled  with  the  respect  and  reverence  showered 
upon  them  by  their  hosts.  The  women,  especially,  were 
often  evidently  touched  by  Muriel's  innocence  and  beauty. 
Aoshe  walked  past  their  huts  with  her  light,  girlish  tread, 
they  would  come  forth  shyly,  bowing  many  times  as  they 
approached,  and  offer  her  a  long  spray  of  the  flower- 
ing hibiscus,  or  a  pretty  garland  of  crimson  ti-leaves, 
saying  at  the  same  time,  many  times  over,  in  their  own 
tongue,  "Receive  it,  Korong ;  receive  it,  Ouecn  of  the 
Clouds!  You  are  good.  Yuu  arc  kind,  V(hi  rn-e  a  danrrh- 
tcr  uf  the  Sun.    Wc  arc  glad  you  have  cunio  to  us." 


c:) 


I  ■ 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


63 


to 


t)' 


^•n 

lie 


A  young  girl  soon  makes  herself  at  home  anywhere; 
and  Muriel,  protected  alike  by  her  native  innocence  and 
by  the  invisible  cloak  of  Polynesian  taboo,  quickly  learned 
to  understand  and  to  sympathize  with  these  poor  dusky 
mothers.  One  morning,  some  weeks  after  tiieir  arrival, 
she  passed  down  the  main  street  of  the  village,  accom- 
panied by  Felix  and  their  two  attendants,  and  readied  the 
viarae — the  open  forum  or  place  of  public  assembly — 
which  stood  in  its  midst;  a  circular  platform,  surrounded 
by  bread-fruit  trees,  under  whose  broad,  cool  shade  the 
people  were  sitting  in  little  groups  and  talking  together. 
They  were  dressed  in  the  regular  old-time  festive  costume 
of  Polynesia  ;  for  Bouparia,  being  a  small  and  remote 
island,  too  insignificimt  to  be  visited  by  European  ships, 
retained  still  all  its  aboriginal  hcatlicn  manners  and 
customs.  The  sight  was,  indeed,  a'  curious  and  pic- 
turesque one.  The  girls,  large-limbed,  soft-skinned,  and 
with  delicately  rounded  figures,  sat  on  the  ground,  laugh- 
ing and  talking,  with  their  knees  crossed  under  them  ; 
their  wrists  were  cncinctured  with  girdles  of  dark-red 
dracoena  leaves,  their  swelling  bosoms  half  concealed,  half 
accentuated  by  hanging  necklets  of  flowers.  Their  beauti- 
ful brown  arms  and  shoulders  were  bare  throughout ;  their 
hnig,  black  hair  was  gracefully  twined  and  knotted  with 
bright  scarlet  flowers.  The  men,  stnmg  and  stalwart,  sat 
behind  on  short  stools  or  lounged  on  the  buttressed  roots 
of  the  bread-fruit  trees,  clad  like  the  women  in  narrow 
waist-belts  of  the  long  red  dracoena  leaves,  with  necklets 
of  sharks'  teeth,  pendent  chain  of  pearly  shells,  a  warrior's 
cap  on  their  well-shaped  heads,  and  an  armlet  of  native 
beans,  arranged  below  the  shoulder,  around  their  powerful 
arms.  Altogether,  it  was  a  striking  and  beautiful  picture. 
jNIuriel,  now  almost  released  from  her  early  sense  of  fear, 
stood  still  to  look  at  it. 

The  men  and  girls  were  laugliing  and  chatting  merrily 
together.  Most  of  them  were  engaged  in  holding  up 
before   them    fine   mats ;    and  a  row   of  mulberry  cloth, 


'fi 


mi  i. 


i 


i 


I  ■!    * 


f  ■• 


H 


Iw    'i 


«■'■'    fi 
■  li   i  '- 


;l  ! 


.1!  HI 


64 


r/ZA'    GREAT  TABOO. 


spread  along  on  the  ground,  led  to  a  hut  near  one  side  of 
the  manic.  Toward  this  the  eyes  of  the  spectators  were 
turned.  "What  is  it,  Mali?"  Muriel  whispered,  her 
woman's  instinct  leading  her  at  once  to  expect  that  sonic- 
thing  special  was  going  on  in  the  way  of  local  festivities. 

And  Mali  answered  at  once,  with  many  nods  and  smiles, 
"All  right,  Missy  Queenie.     Ilini  a  wedding,  a  marriage." 

The  words  had  hardly  escaped  her  lips  when  a  very 
pretty  young  girl,  half  smothered  in  flowers,  and  decked 
out  in  beads  and  fancy  shells,  emerged  slowly  from  the 
hut,  and  took  her  way  with  stately  tread  along  the  path 
carpeted  with  native  cloth.  She  was  girt  round  the  waist 
witii  rich-colored  mate,  which  formed  a  long  train,  like  a 
court  dress,  trailing  on  the  ground  five  or  six  feet  behind  her. 

*'  That's  the  bride,  I  suppose,"  Muriel  whispered,  now 
really  interested — for  what  woman  on  earth,  wherever  she 
may  be,  can  resist  the  seductive  delights  of  a  wedding  ? 

"Yes,  her  a  bride,"  Mali  answered;  "and  ladies  what 
follow,  them  her  bridesmaids." 

At  the  word,  six  other  girls,  similarly  dressed,  though 
without  the  train,  and  demure  as  nuns,  emerged  from  the 
hut  in  slow  order,  two  and  two,  behind  her. 

Muriel  and  Felix  moved  forward  with  natural  curiosity 
toward  the  scene.  The  natives,  now  ranged  in  a  row  along 
the  path,  with  mats  turned  inward,  made  way  for  them 
gladly.  All  seem  pleased  that  Heaven  should  thus  aus- 
piciously honor  the  occasion  ;  and  the  bride  herself,  as  well 
ns  the  bridegroom,  who,  decked  in  shells  and  teeth,  ad- 
vanced from  the  opposite  side  along  the  path  to  meet  her, 
looked  up  with  grateful  smiles  at  the  two  Europeans. 
Muriel  in  return,  smiled  her  most  gracious  and  girlisli 
recogr.ition.  As  the  bride  drew  near,  she  couldn't  refrain 
from  bending  forward  a  little  to  look  at  the  girl's  really 
graceful  costume.  As  she  did  so,  tlic  skirt  of  her  own 
European  dress  brushed  for  a  second  against  the  bride's 
train,  trailed  carelessly  many  yards  on  the  ground  behind 
her. 


THE   GRKAl'  TABOO. 


6S 


11 


,li 
n 
y 
n 


Almost  before  they  could  know  what  had  happened,  a 
wild  conimolion  arose,  as  if  by  magic,  in  the  crowd  around 
them.  Loud  cries  of  "  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  "  mixed  with  inar- 
ticulate screams,  burst  on  every  side  from  the  assembled 
natives.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  they  were  surrounded 
by  an  angry,  tlireateniiig  throng,  who  didn't  dare  to  draw 
near,  but,  standing  a  yard  or  two  off,  drew  stone  knives 
freely  and  shooiv  their  fists,  scowling,  in  the  strangers' 
faces.  The  change  was  appalling  in  its  electric  sudden- 
ness. Muriel  drew  back  horrified,  in  an  agony  of  alarm. 
"  Oh,  what  have  I  done  ! "  she  cried,  piteously,  clinging 
to  Felix  for  support.  "Why  on  earth  are  they  angry  with 
us?" 

"  I  don't  knowj"  Felix  answered,  taken  aback  liimself. 
"  I  can't  say  exactly  in  what  you've  transgressed.  But  you 
must,  unconsciously,  in  some  way  have  offended  their 
prejudices.  I  hope  it's  not  much.  At  any  rate  they're 
clearly  afraid  to  touch  us." 

"Missy  Queenic  break  taboo,  '  Mali  explained  at  once, 
with  Polynesian  frankness.  **  That  make  people  angry. 
So  him  want  to  kill  you.  Missy  (Jueenie  touch  bride  with 
end  of  her  dress.  Korong  may  smile  on  bride — that  very 
good  luck  ;  but  Korong  taboo  ;  no  must  touch  him." 

The  crowd  gathf^»-'"d  around  them,  still  very  threatening 
in  attitude,  yet  clearly  afraid  to  approach  within  arm's- 
length  of  the  strangers.  Muriel  was  much  frightened  at 
their  noise  and  at  their  frantic  gestures.  "Come  away," 
she  cried,  catching  Felix  by  the  arm  once  more.  "  Oh,  wliat 
are  they  going  to  do  to  us.'  Will  they  kill  us  for  this? 
I'm  so  horribly  afraid  I     Oh,  why  did  I  ever  do  it !  " 

The  poor  little  bride,  niean while,  left  alone  on  the  car- 
pet, and  unnoticed  by  everybody,  sank  suddenly  down  on 
the  mats  where  she  stood,  buried  her  face  in  her  hands, 
and  began  to  sob  as  if  her  lierirt  would  break.  Evidentlv, 
something  very  untoward  of  some  sort  had  happened  to 
the  dusky  lady  on  her  wcddini^-  morning. 

The  final  touch  was  too  much  for  poor  Muriel's  over- 


!  ■  )| 


i'.ii 


'Ml 


r:i! 


■„!1    I 

J .  J  1  1 1 


66 


rilE   GRKAT  lABOO. 


\ 


'  lilli 


%  1 1 


Ji 


)fl   ' 


wrougliL  nerves.  She,  too,  giwc  way  in  ii  tempest  of  sobs, 
and,  subsiding  on  one  of  the  native  stools  hard  by,  burst 
into  tears  herself  with  half-hysterical  violence. 

Instantly,  as  she  did  so,  the  whole  assembly  seemed  to 
change  its  mind  again  as  if  by  contagious  magic.  A  loud 
shout  of  "  She  cries  ;  the  ( )uccn  of  tlie  Clouds  cries  !  " 
went  up  from  all  the  assembled  mob  to  !ieave!i.  "It  is  a 
good  omen,"  Toko,  the  Shadow,  whispered  in  Polynesian 
to  Felix,  seeing  his  puzzled  look.  '•  We  shall  have  plenty 
of  rain  now  ;  the  clouds  will  break  ;  our  crops  will  nou- 
rish." Almost  before  she  understood  it,  Muriel  was  sur- 
rounded by  an  eager  and  friendly  crowd,  still  afraid  to 
draw  near,  but  evidently  anxious  to  see  and  to  comfort  and 
console  her.  Many  of  the  women  eagerly  held  forward 
their^native  mats,  which  Mali  took  from  them,  and,  press- 
ing them  for  a  second  against  Muriel's  eyes,  handed  them 
back  with  just  a  suspicion  of  wet  tears  left  glistening  in 
the  corner.  The  happy  recipients  leaped  and  shouted  with 
joy.  "No  more  drought!"  they  cried  merrily,  with  loud 
shouts  and  gesticulations.  '*  The  Queen  of  the  Clouds  is 
good  :  she  will  weep  well  from  heaven  upon  my  yam  and 
taro  plots  ! " 

Muriel  looked  up,  all  dazed,  and  saw,  to  her  intense 
surprise,  the  crowd  was  now  nothing  but  affection  and 
sympathy.  Slowly  they  gathered  in  closer  and  closer,  till 
they  almost  touched  the  hem  of  her  robe  ;  then  the  men 
stood  by  respectfully,  laying  their  fingers  on  whatever  she 
had  wetted  with  her  tears,  while  the  women  and  girls  took 
her  hand  in  theirs  and  pressed  it  sympathetically.  Mali 
explained  their  meaning  with  ready  interpretation.  *'  No 
cry  too  much,  them  say,"  she  observed,  nodding  her  head 
sagely.  '*  Not  good  for  Missy  Queenie  to  cry  too  much. 
Them  say,  kind  lady,  be  comforted." 

There  was  genuine  good-nature  in  the  way  they  consoled 
her  ;  and  Felix  was  touclied  by  the  tenderness  of  those 
savan-e  hearts  ;  but  the  additional  exnlanation,  sfiven  him 
in  Polynesian  by  his  own  Shadow,  tendod  somewhat  to  de- 


THE  CKRAT  T.inoo. 


(>! 


tract  from  the  disinterestedness  of  their  synipathy.  "Tlity 
sav,  '  It  'is  good  for  liie  Oiieen  of  the  Clouds  to  weep,"  " 
Toko  saiu,  with  franiv  bliintness  ;  "'but  not  tuo  much — 
for  fear  the  rain  sliould  vvabli  away  all  (uir  yam  and  l;uo 
plants. 

By  this  time  the  little  bride  had  roused  herself  from  her 
stupor,  and,  smiling  away  ;is  if  nothing  had  hap{)cncd, 
said  a  few  words  in  a  very  low  voice  to  l-Ydix's  Shadow. 
The  Shadow  turned  most  respectfully  to  his  master,  and, 
touching  his  sleeve  link,  which  was  of  blight  geld,  said,  in 
a  very  doubtful  voice,  "  She  asks  you,  oh  king,  will  you 
allow  her,  just  for  to-day,  to  wear  this  ornament  ? '* 

Felix  unbuttoned  the  shining  bauble  at  once,  and 
was  about  to  hand  it  to  the  bride  with  polite  gallantry. 
•*  Slie  may  wear  it  forever,  for  the  matter  of  that,  if  she 
likes,"  he  said,  good-humoredly.  "  I  make  her  a  present 
of  it." 

But  the  bride  drew  back  as  before  in  speechless  terror, 
as  he  held  out  his  hand,  and  seemed  just  on  the  point  of 
bursting  out  into  tears  again  at  this  untoward  incident. 
The  Shadow  intervened  with  fortunate  perception  of  the 
cause  of  the  misunderstanding.  "  Korong  must  not  touch 
or  give  anything  to  a  bride,"  he  said,  quietly  ;  "  not  with 
his  own  hand.  He  must  not  lay  his  finger  on  her  ;  that 
would  be  unlucky.  But  he  may  hand  it  by  his  Shadow." 
Then  he  turned  to  his  fellow-tribesmen.  These  gcxls,"  he 
said,  in  an  explanatory  voice,  like  one  bespeaking  forgive- 
ness, "  though  they  arc  divine,  and  Koror-ig,  and  very 
powerful— see,  they  have  come  from  the  sun,  and  they 
are  but  strangers  in  Boupari  — they  do  not  yet  know  the 
ways  of  our  island.  They  have  not  eaten  of  human  flesh. 
They  do  not  understand  Taboo.  But  they  will  soon  be 
wiser.  They  mean  very  well,  l;ut  they  dt)  not  know.  Be- 
hold, he  gives  her  this  divine  rliining  ornament  from  tlie 
sun  as  a  present  !  "  And,  taking  it  in  his  hand,  he  held  it 
up  for  a  moment  to  public  :ulmiration.  Then  he  ]")asscd 
on   the   trinket  ostentatiously  to  the  bride,  who,  smiling 


.r»; 


6S 


TirE  cRKAi'  T.inoo. 


}     \ 


,■1      .  ■■ 

'* 

J,     ,'l 


l-i  f 


and  delighted,  hung  it  low  on  her  breast  amon^f  ber  other 
decorations. 

Tlie  whole  party  seemed  so  surprised  and  gratified  at 
this  proof  of  condescension  on  the  part  of  the  divine  stran- 
ger that  they  crowded  round  Fehx  once  n7ore,  praising 
and  thanking  him  volubly.  Muriel,  anxious  to  remove 
the  bad  impression  she  had  created  by  touching  the  bride's 
dress,  hastily  withdrew  her  own  little  brooch  and  offered 
it  in  turn  to  the  Shadow  as  an  additional  present.  But 
Toko,  shaking  his  head  vigorously,  pointed  with  his  fore- 
finger many  times  to  Mali.  *' Toko  say  him  no  can  take 
it,"  Mali  explained  hastily,  in  her  broken  English.  "Ilim 
no  your  Shadow  ;  me  your  Shadow  ;  me  do  everything 
for. you  ;  me  give  it  to  the  lady."  And,  taking  the  brooch 
in  her  hand,  she  passed  it  over  in  turn  amid  loud  cries  of 
delight  and  shouts  of  approval. 

Thereupon,  the  ceremony  began  all  over  again.  They 
seemed  by  their  intervention  to  have  interrupted  some  set 
formula.  At  its  close  the  women  crowded  around  Muriel 
and  took  her  hand  in  tlicirs,  kissing  it  many  times  over, 
with  tears  in  their  eves,  and  bctravins:  an  immense  amount 
of  genuine  feeling.  One  phrase  in  Polynesian  they  re- 
peated again  and  again  ;  a  phrase  that  made  Felix's  check 
turn  white,  as  he  leaned  over  the  poor  English  girl  with  a 
profound  emotion. 

''What  does  it  mean  that  they  say  ?/' Muriel  asked  at 
last,  perceiving  it  -as  all  one  phrase,  many  times  re- 
peated. 

Felix  was  about  to  give  some  evasive  explanation,  when 
Mali  interposed  with  her  simple,  unthinking  translation. 
"Them  say.  Missy  Queenic  very  good  and  kind.  Make 
them  sad  to  think.  Make  them  cry  to  see  her.  Make 
them  cry  to  see  Missy  Queenie  Korong.  Too  good.  Too 
pretty." 

"  Why  so  ? "  Muriel  exclaimed,  drawing  back  with  some 
faint  presentiment  of  unspeakable  horror. 

Felix  tried  to   stop   her  ;  but   the   girl   would   not   be 


wv^ 


at 
rc- 


me 
be 


yy//-;  crkm-  taboo. 


69 


stopped.      "Because,    when    Ktjroiig   time    up,"  slic   an- 
swered, blurting  it  out,  "  Korong  must " 

Felix  clapped  his  hand  to  her  mouth  in  wild  haste,  and 
silenced  her.  He  knew  the  worst  now.  He  liad  divined 
the  truth.  But  Muriel,  at  least,  must  be  spared  that 
knowledge. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


SOWING    THE   WIND. 


Vaguely  and  indefinitely  one  terrible  truth  liad  been 
forced  by  slow  degrees  upon  Felix's  mind  ;  whatever  else 
Korong  meant,  it  implied  at  least  some  fearful  doom  in 
store,  sooner  or  later,  for  the  persons  wlio  bore  it.  How 
awful  that  doom  might  be,  he  could  hardly  imagine  ;  but 
he  must  devote  himself  henceforth  to  the  task  of  discov- 
ering what  its  nature  wt^o,  and,  if  possible,  of  averting  it. 

Yet  how  to  reconcile  this  impending  terror  with  the 
olhcr  obvious  facts  of  the  situation  ?  the  fact  that  they 
were  considered  divine  beings  and  treated  like  gods  ;  and 
the  fact  that  the  whole  population  seemed  really  to  regard 
them  with  a  devotion  and  kindliness  closely  bordering  on 
religious  reverence  ?  If  Korongs  were  gods,  why  should 
the  people  want  to  kill  them  ?  If  they  meant  to  kill  them, 
why  pay  them  meanwhile  such  respect  and  affection  ? 

One  point  at  least  was  low,  however,  quite  clear  to 
Felix.  While  the  natives,  especially  the  women,  displayed 
toward  both  of  them  in  their  personal  aspect  a  sort  of  re- 
gretful sympathy,  he  could  not  help  noticing  at  the  same 
time  that  the  men,  at  any  rate,  regarded  them  also  largely 
in  an  impersonal  light,  as  a  sort  of  generalized  abstrac- 
tion of  the  powers  of  nature — an  embodied  form  of  the 
rain  and  the  weather.  The  islanders  were  anxious  to 
keep  their  white  guests  well  supplied,  well  fed,  and  in  per- 
fect health,  not  so  much  for  the  strangers'  sakes  as  for 
their  own  advantage  ;   they  evidently  considered   that  if 


SI 


!  1; 


M  ■•! 


f  I? 


,    I 


! 


''■ 


11 


f  I* 


70 


T/fE   CKEAT  TABOO. 


anytliing  went  wrnni:^  with  < 'tlu-r  (^f  ilicir  two  new  gods, 
corresponding  niisl'cMLiincs  uiigliL  luippcn  to  tlicir  crupj 
and  tlie  produce  of  tlicir  bre.'id-fruit  groves.  S(jnie  mys- 
terious sympiitiiy  was  held  to  subsist  between  tiic  persons 
of  the  castaways  and  the  state  of  the  weather.  The  na- 
tives effusively  thanked  them  after  welcome  rain,  and 
looked  askance  at  them,  scowling,  after  long  dry  spells. 
It  was  for  this,  no  doubt,  that  they  took  such  pains  to  pro- 
vide them  with  attentive  Shadows,  and  to  gird  round  their 
movements  with  taboos  of  excessive  stringency.  Noth- 
iniv  that  the  new-comers  said  or  did  was  indifferent,  it 
seemed,  to  the  welfare  of  the  ccjmmunity  ;  plenty  and 
prosperity  depended  ujDon  the  passing  state  of  Muriel's 
he;ilth,  and  famine  or  drought  might  be  brought  about 
at  any  moment  by  the  slightest  imprudence  in  Felix's 
diet. 

How  stringent  these  taboos  really  were  Felix  learned 
by  slow  degrees  alone  to  realize.  From  the  very  begin- 
ning he  had  observed,  to  be  sure,  tliat  they  might  only 
eat  and  drink  the  food  provided  ftn*  tliem  ;  that  they  were 
supplied  with  a  clean  and  fresh-built  hut,  as  well  as  with 
brand-new  cocoanut  cups,  spoons,  and  platters  ;  that  no 
litter  of  any  sort  was  allowed  to  accumulate  near  their 
enclosure  ;  and  that  their  Shadows  never  left  them,  or 
went  out  of  their  sight,  by  day  or  by  night,  for  a  single 
moment.  Now,  however,  he  began  to  perceive  also  that 
the  Shadows  were  there  for  that  very  purpose,  to  watch 
over  them,  as  it  were,  like  guards,  on  behalf  of  the  om- 
niunity  ;  to  see  that  they  ate  or  drank  no  tabooed  object ;  to 
keep  them  from  heedlessly  transgressing  any  unwritten  law 
of  the  creed  of  Boupari  ;  and  to  be  answerable  for  their 
good  behavior  generally.  They  were  partly  servants,  it 
was  true,  and  partly  sureties  ;  but  they  were  partly  also 
keepers,  and  keepers  who  kept  a  close  and  constant  watch 
upon  the  persons  of  their  prisoners.  Once  or  twice 
Felix,  growing  tired  for  the  moment  of  this  continual  sur- 
veillance, had  tried  to  give  Toko  the  slip,  and  to  stroll 


THE    CREAI'  TAFOO. 


71 


;  •  I 


away  from  his  hut,  unattended,  for  a  walk  through  tlic 
island,  in  the  early  morning,  before  his  Shadow  had 
waked  ;  but  on  each  such  occasion  he  found  to  his  sur- 
prise that,  as  he  opened  the  hut  door,  the  Shadow  rose  at 
once  and  confronted  him  angrily,  with  an  incpiiring  eye  ; 
and  in  time  he  perceived  that  a  thin  string  was  fastened 
to  the  bottom  of  the  door,  the  other  end  (jf  which  was 
tied  to  the  Shadow's  ankle  ;  and  this  string  could  not  be 
cut  without  letting  fall  a  sort  of  latch  or  bar  which  closed 
the  door  outside,  only  to  be  raised  again  by  some  external 
person. 

Clearly,  it  was  intended  that  the  Korong  should  have  no 
chance  of  escape  without  the  knowledge  of  the  Shadow, 
who,  as  Felix  afterward  learned,  would  have  paid  with  his 
own  body  by  a  cruel  death  for  the  Korong's  disappear- 
ance. 

lie  might  as  well  have  tried  to  escape  his  own  shadow 
as  to  escape  the  one  the  islanders  had  tacked  on  to  him. 

All  Felix's  energies  were  now  devoted  to  the  arduous 
task  of  discovering  what  Korong  really  meant,  and  what 
possibility  he  might  have  of  saving  Muriel  from  the  mys- 
terious fate  that  seemed  to  be  held  in  store  for  them. 

One  evening,  about  six  weeks  after  their  arrival  in  the 
island,  the  young  Englishman  was  strolling  by  himself 
(after  the  sun  sank  low  in  heaven)  along  a  pretty  tangled 
hill-side  path,  overhung  with  lianas  and  rope-like  tropical 
creepers,  while  his  faithful  Shadow  lingered  a  step  or  two 
behind,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  meanwhile  on  all  his 
movements. 

Near  the  top  of  a  little  crag  of  volcanic  rock,  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  hills,  he  came  suddenly  upon  a  hut  with  a 
cleared  space  around  it,  somewhat  neater  in  appearance 
than  any  of  the  native  cottages  he  had  yet  seen,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  broad  white  belt  of  coral  sand,  exactly  like 
that  which  ringed  round  and  protected  their  own  enclos- 
ure.    But  what  specially   atuactcd  Felix's  attention  was 

the  fact  that  the  space  outside  this  circle  had  been  cleared 


1  !■ 


I    : 


U 


ff 


.■  -I 


72 


7 •///'.'   CKl'.AT   7'.UiOO. 


into  a  regular  flowcr-gartlcn,  finite  European  in  tlic  dcfin- 
itcncss  and  (jrderlincss  of  its  (juaint  arrangcnicit. 

**  Wliv,  wiio  lives  here  ?"  Felix  asked  in  Polynesian, 
turning  round  in  surprise  to  his  respecLlul  Shadow. 

The  Shadow  waved  his  hand  vaguely  in  an  expansive 
way  toward  the  sky,  as  he  answered,  with  a  certain  air  of 
awe,  (jften  observable  in  his  speech  when  taboos  were  in 
question,  "The  King  of  Birds.  A  very  great  god.  lie 
spt'nks  the  bird  language." 

*' Who  is  he?"  Felix  inquired,  taken  aback,  wondering 
vaguely  to  himself  whether  here,  perchance,  he  might  have 
lighted  upon  some  stray  and  shipwrecked  compatriot. 

"He  comes  from  the  sun  like  yourselves,"  the  Shadow 
answered,  all  deference,  but  with  obvious  reserve.  "  He 
is  a  very  great  god.  I  may  not  speak  much  of  liim.  But 
he  is  not  Korong.  lie  is  greater  than  that,  and  less.  He 
is  Tula,  the  same  as  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"  Is  he  as  powerful  as  Tu-Kila-KiL,  ?"  Felix  asked,  with 
intense  interest. 

"Oh,  no,  he's  not  nearly  so  powerful  as  that,"  the  Sha- 
dow answered,  half  terrified  at  the  bare  suggestion.  "  No 
god  in  heaven  or  earth  is  like  Tu-Kila-Kila.  This  one  is 
only  king  of  the  birds,  which  is  a  little  province,  while 
Tu-Kila-Kila  is  king  of  heaven  "nd  earth,  of  plants  and 
animals,  of  gods  and  men,  of  all  things  created.  At  his 
nod  the  sky  shakes  and  the  rocks  tremble.  But  still,  this 
god  is  Tula,  like  Tu-Kila-Kila.  He  is  not  for  a  year.  He 
goes  on  forever,  till  some  other  supplants  him." 

"  You  say  he  comes  from  the  sun,"  Felix  put  in,  de- 
voured with  curiosity.  "And  he  speaks  the  bird  language  ? 
What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  Does  he  speak  like  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  and  myself  when  we  talk  together  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  no,"  the  Shadow  answered,  in  a  very  con- 
fident tone.  "  He  doesn't  speak  the  least  bit  in  the  world 
like  that.  He  speaks  shriller  and  higher,  and  still  more 
bird-like.  It  is  chatter,  chatter,  chatter,  like  the  parrots 
in  a  tree  ;  tirra,  tirra,  tirra  ;  tarra,  tarra,  tarra  ;  la,  la,  la; 


Tin-:  r.Kr.Ar  r.moo. 


71 


lo,  lo,  lo  ;  111,  111,  lu  ;  li  la.     And  he  sings  to  liimsclf  all  the 

time.     lie  sings  this  way " 

And  then  the  Shadow,  with  that  wonderful  power  of 
accurate  mimicry  wliich  is  so  strong  in  all  natural  human 
beings,  began  to  trill  out  at  once,  with  a  very  good  Parisian 
accent,  a  few  lines  from  a  well-known  song  in  "  La  Fille 
dc  Madame  Anjjot :  " 


I' 

I  ; 


o 


luiiid  on  ciMispi-rc, 


I 


( )n;in( 


sans  II 


fi 


;iycur 


On  [)cul  sc  <li-ic 
Conspiratcur, 

I'our  lout  Ic  nion-clc 
11  faiit  avoir 

renu<[ue  Llon-de 


i: 


)11lI 


-I  coulI  nou' — 
l'erriu[iiL'  lilon-dc 
Et  collet  noir." 

"That's  how  the  King  of  the  Birds  sings,"  the  Shadow 
said,  as  he  finished,  throwing  back  his  head,  and  laughing 
with  all  his  might  at  his  own  imitatioi  ''  So  funny,  isn't 
it  ?     It's  exactly  like  the  song  of  the  pink-crested  parnjt." 

"  Why,  Toko,  it's  French,"  Felix  exclaimed,  using  the 
Fijian  word  for  a  Frenchman,  which  the  Shadow,  of  course, 
on  his  remote  island,  had  never  before  heard.  "  How  on 
earth  did  he  come  here  ?  " 

*'  I  can't  tell  you,"  Toko  answered,  waving  his  arms  sea- 
ward. "  He  came  from  the  sun,  like  yourselves.  But  not 
in  a  sun-boat.  It  had  no  fire.  He  came  in  a  canoe,  all  by 
himself.  And  Mali  says" — here  the  Shadow  lowered  his 
voice  to  a  most  mysterious  whisper — "  he's  a  man-a-oui- 
oui." 

Felix  quivered  with  excitement.  "  Man-a-oui-oui  "  is 
the  universal  name  over  semi-civilized  Polynesia  for  a 
Frenchman.  Felix  seized  upon  it  with  avidity.  "A  man- 
a-oui-oui  !  "  he  cried,  delighted.  "  How  strange  !  How 
wonderful  !     I  must  go  in  at  once  to  his  hut  and  see  him  !  " 

He  had  lifted  his  foot  and  was  just  going  to  cross  the 


'! 


Mil      ,i,' 
I'll       I' 


:i!     ( 


f\ 


74 


Tirr.  GREAT  r.\noo. 


m 


W     'i , 


\vliitc  line  of  coral-sand,  when  his  Sha(U)\v,  catching  him 
siidcicnly  and  stcjiitiy  round  llic  waist,  pulled  him  back 
from  the  enclosure  with  every  sign  (;f  horror,  alarm,  and 
astonishment.  "  No,  you  can't  go,"  he  cried,  grappling 
with  him  with  all  his  force,  yet  using  him  very  tenderly 
for  all  that,  as  becomes  a  god.     "  Taboo  !     Taboo  there  !  " 

'*  JJut  I  am  a  god  myself,"  Felix  cried,  insisting  upon  his 
privileges.  If  you  have  to  submit  to  the  disadvantages  of 
taboo,  you  may  as  well  claim  its  advantaijes  as  well.  "  The 
King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water  crossed  my  taboo  line. 
Why  shouldn't  I  cross  equally  the  King  of  the  Birds', 
then?" 

*'  So  you  might — as  a  rule,"  the  Shadow  answered  with 
promptitude.  "  You  arc  both  gods.  Your  taboos  do  not 
cross.  You  may  visit  each  other.  You  may  transgress  one 
another's  lines  without  dancrercjf  fallinofdead  onthetrround 
as  common  men  would  do  if  they  broke  taboo-lines.  But 
this  is  the  Month  of  Birds.  The  king  is  in  retreat.  No 
man  may  sec  him  except  his  own  Shadow,  the  Little  Cocka- 
too, who  brings  him  his  food  and  drink.  Do  you  sec  that 
hawk's  head,  stuck  upon  the  post  by  the  door  at  the  side. 
That  is  his  Special  Taboo.  lie  keeps  it  for  this  month. 
Even  gods  must  respect  that  sign,  for  a  reason  which  it 
would  be  very  bad  medicine  to  mention.  While  the  Month 
of  Birds  lasts,  no  man  may  look  upon  the  king  or  liear  him. 
If  they  did,  they  would  die,  and  the  carrion  birds  would 
eat  them.     Come  awav.     This  is  dancferous." 

Scarcely  were  the  words  well  out  of  his  mouth  when 
from  the  recesses  of  the  hut  a  rollicking  French  voice  was 
heard,  trilling  out  merrily  : 

**  Quand  on  con-spi-re, 

Quand,  sans  frayeur " 

Without  waiting  for  more,  the  Shadow  seized  Felix's  arm 
in  an  agony  of  terror.  "  Cc^me  away  !  "  he  cried,  hurriedly, 
"  come  away  !     What  will  become  of  us  ?     This  is  horrible, 

horrible !    We  have  broken  taboo,    We  have  hear4  the 


TiTE  ahwi.ir  T.moo. 


75 


i  •' 


len 
ras 


Irm 
.Ic, 

lbs 


god's  voice.  The  sky  will  fall  on  us.  If  his  Shadow  were 
to  find  it  out  and  tell  my  people,  my  people  would  tear  us 
limb  from  limb.  (juick,  quick  !  Hide  away  !  Lot  us 
run  fast  throui^li  the  forest  before  anv  man  discover  it." 

The  Shadow's  voice  rang  deep  with  alarm.  Felix  felt 
he  dare  not  trille  with  this  superstition.  Profound  as  was 
his  curiosity  about  the  mysterious  Frenchman,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  bottle  up  his  eagerness  and  anxiety  for  the  mo- 
ment, and  patiently  wait  till  the  Month  of  liirels  had  run 
its  course,  and  taken  its  inconvenient  taboo  along  wiih  it. 
These  limitations  were  terrible.  Yet  lie  counted  nuich 
upon  the  information  the  Frenchman  could  give  him.  The 
man  had  been  some  time  on  the  island,  it  was  clear,  and 
doubtless  he  understood  its  ways  thoroughly  ;  he  might 
cast  some  light  at  last  upon  the  Korong  mystery. 

So  he  went  back  through  the  woods  with  a  heart  some- 
what lighter. 

Not  far  from  their  own  huts  he  met  Muriel  and  Mali. 

As  they  walked  home  together,  Felix  told  his  companion 
in  a  very  few  words  tlie  strange  discovery  about  the  French- 
man, and  the  impenetrable  taboo  by  uhich  lie  was  at  pres- 
ent surrounded.  Muriel  drew  a  deep  sigh.  "Oh,  Felix," 
she  said — for  they  were  naturally  by  this  time  very  nuicli 
at  home  with  one  another,  **  did  you  ever  know  anything  so 
dreadful  as  the  mystery  of  these  taboos  ?  It  seems  as  if  we 
should  never  get  really  to  the  bottom  of  them.  Mali's 
always  springing  some  new  one  upon  me.  I  don't  believe 
we  shall  ever  be  able  to  leave  the  island — we're  so  hedged 
round  with  taboos.  Even  if  we  were  to  see  a  ship  to-day, 
I  don't  believe  they'd  allow  us  to  signal  it." 

There  was  a  red  sunset  ;  a  lurid,  tropical,  red-and-green 
sunset.     It  boded  mischief. 

They  were  passing  by  some  huts  at  the  moment,  and 
over  the  stockade  of  one  of  them  a  tree  was  hanging  with 
small  yellow  fruits,  which  Felix  knew  well  in  Fiji  as  whole- 
some and  agreeable.  He  broke  (jff  a  small  branch  as  he 
passedj  and  offered  a  couple  thoughtlessly  to  Muriel,     Shg 


1;  I  \l 


76 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


i:  .  i 


'  f 


took  them  in  her  fingers,  and  tasted  them  gingerly. 
"They're  not  so  bad,"  she  said,  taking  anotlier  from  the 
bough.     "  They're  very  much  like  gooseberries." 

At  the  same  moment,  Felix  popped  one  into  his  own 
mouth,  and  swallowed  it  without  thinking. 

Almost  before  they  knew  what  had  happened,  with  the 
Bame  extraordinary  rapidity  as  in  the  case  of  the  wedding, 
tlie  people  in  the  cottages  ran  out,  with  every  sign  of  fear 
nnd  apprehension,  and,  seizing  the  branch  from  Felix's 
hands,  began  upbraiding  the  two  Shadows  for  their  want 
of  attention. 

"  We  couldn't  help  it,"  Toko  exclaimed,  with  every  ap- 
pearance of  guilt  and  horror  on  his  face.  "  They  were 
much  too  sharp  for  us.  Their  hearts  are  black.  How 
could  we  two  interfere  ?  These  gods  are  so  quick  !  They 
had  picked  and  eaten  them  before  we  ever  saw  them." 

One  of  the  men  raised  his  hand  with  a  threateninc:  air — 
but  against  the  Shadow,  not  against  the  sacred  person  of 
Felix.  "  He  will  be  ill,"  he  said,  angrily,  pointing  toward 
tlie  white  man  ;  '^  and  she  will,  too.  Their  hearts  are  in- 
deed black.  They  have  sown  the  seed  of  the  wind.  Tliey 
have  both  of  them  eaten  of  it.  They  will  both  be  ill.  You 
deserve  to  die  !  And  what  will  come  now  to  our  trees  and 
plantations  ? " 

The  cro  vd  gathered  round  them,  cursing  low  and  horribly. 
The  two  terrified  Europeans  slunk  off  to  their  huts,  un- 
aware of  their  exact  crime,  and  closely  followed  by  a  scowl- 
ing but  despondent  mob  of  natives.  As  they  crossed  their 
sacred  boundary,  Muriel  cried,  with  a  sudden  outburst  of 
tears,  "Oh,  Felix,  what  on  earth  shall  we  ever  do  to  get 
rid  of  this  terrible,  unendurable  godship  !  " 

The  natives  without  set  up  a  great  shout  of  horror. 
''  See,  see  !  slie  cries  !  "  they  exclaimed,  in  indescribable 
panic.  "  S'ie  has  eaten  the  storm-fruit,  and  already  she 
cries!  Oli,  clouds,  restrain  yourselves  I  Oh,  great  queen, 
mercy  1  WhatcM  will  become  of  us  and  our  poor  hutg 
and  gardens ! " 


rni'i  GRKAT  7 'in 00. 


77 


jerly. 
n  the 

5  own 

:h  the 
ilding, 
)f  Iciir 
"elix's 
r  want 

;ry  ap- 
f  were 

How 

They 
n." 

tr  ah- — 

rson  of 

toward 

are  in- 

They 

You 

cs  and 

)rribly. 
|its,  un- 

scowl- 
Id  their 
iurst  of 

to  get 


And  for  hours  tlicycrouchcdaround,  beating  thou- breasts 
and  shrieking. 

That  evening,  Muriel  sat  up  late  in  Felix's  hut,  with 
Mali  by  her  side,  too  frigiitened  to  r;o  back  into  iicr  own 
alone  before  those  angry  people.  And  all  the  time,  just 
beyond  the  barrier  line,  they  could  hear,  above  the  whistle 
of  the  wind  around  the  hut,  the  droning  voices  of  dozens 
of  natives,  cowering  low  on  tlie  ground  ;  tliey  seemed  to  be 
going  through  some  litany  or  chant,  as  if  to  deprecate  the 
result  of  this  imprudent  action. 

"What  are  they  doing  outside?"  Felix  asked  of  his 
Sliadow  at  last,  after  a  peculiarly  long  wail  of  misery. 

And  the  Shadow  made  answer,  in  very  solemn  tones, 
"  They  arc  trying  to  propitiate  your  migjitincss,  and  to  avert 
the  omen,  lost  the  rain  should  fall,  and  the  wind  should 
blow,  and  the  storm-cloud  should  burst  over  the  island  to 
destroy  them." 

Then  Felix  remembered  suddenly  of  liimself  that  the 
season  when  this  storm-fruit,  or  storm-apple,  as  they  called 
it,  was  ripe  in  Fiji,  was  also  the  season  when  the  great 
Paciiic  cyclones  most  often  swept  over  the  land  in  full  fury 
— storms  unexampled  on  any  other  sea,  like  that  famous 
one  which  wrecked  so  many  European  men-of-war  a  few 
years  since  in  the  liarbor  of  Samoa. 

And  without,  the  wail  came  louder  and  clearer  still  ! 
**  If  you  sow  tlie  bread-fruit  seed,  you  will  reap  the  bread- 
fruit. Tf  you  sow  the  wind,  you  will  reap  the  whirlwind. 
They  have  eaten  iho  slorm-fruit.  Oh,  great  king,  save 
us  I" 


m 


I 


lorror. 

-ibable 
Idy  she 
Iqueen, 
]r  hut5 


78 


THE   GREAT   'J'ABOO. 


CHAPTER  X. 


REAPING    THE    WHIRLWIND. 


il 


l^f  Ai 


^n 


\t 


if. 


!i    : 


I 


Toward  midnight  Muriel  began  to  doze  lightly  from 
pure  fatigue. 

"  Put  a  pillow  under  her  head,  and  let  her  sleep,"  Felix 
said  in  a  whisper.  *'  Poor  child,  it  would  be  cruel  to  send 
her  alone  to-night  into  her  own  quarters." 

And  Mali  slipped  a  pillow  of  mulberry  paper  under  licr 
mistress's  head,  and  laid  it  on  her  own  lap,  and  bent  down 
tg  watch  her. 

But  tnitside,  beyond  tlic  line,  the  natives  murmured  loud 
their  discontent.  "The  Oueen  of  the  Clouds  stays  in  the 
King  c;f  the  Rain  s  hut  to-night,"  they  muttered,  angrily. 
"She  will  not  listen  to  us.  Befcjre  morning,  be  sure,  the 
Tempest  will  be  born  of  their  meeting  to  destroy  us." 

About  two  o'clock  there  came  a  lull  in  the  wind,  wliich 
had  been  rising  steadily  ever  since  that  lurid  sunset. 
Felix  looked  out  of  the  Imt  door.  The  moon  was  full. 
It  was  almost  as  clear  as  day  with  the  bright  tropical 
moonlight,  silvery  in  the  open,  pale  green  in  the  shadow. 
The  people  were  still  squatting  in  great  rings  round  tli(3 
hut,  just  outside  the  taboo  line,  and  beating  gongs  and 
sticks  and  human  bones,  to  keep  time  to  the  lilt  of  their 
lugubrious  litany. 

The  air  felt  unusually  heavy  and  oppressive.  Felix 
raised  his  eyes  to  the  sky,  and  saw  whisps  of  light  cloud 
drifting  in  rapid  flight  over  the  scudding  moon.  Below, 
an  ominous  fog  bank  gathered  steadily  westward.  Then 
one  clap  of  thunder  rent  the  sky.  After  it  came  a  deadly 
silence.  The  moon  was  veiled.  All  was  dark  as  pitch. 
The  natives  themselves  fell  on  their  faces  and  prayed  with 
mute  lips.  Three  minutes  later,  the  cyclone  had  burst 
upon  them  in  all  its  frenzy. 

»Such  a  hurricane  Felix  li:ul  never  before  experienced, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


79 


and 
heir 

clix 
oud 
o\v, 
hen 
idlv 
Itch. 
Ivith 
luist 

Iced, 


Its  eneigy  was  awful.  Round  the  palm-trees  thcwiiul 
played  a  frantic  and  capricious  devil's  dance.  It  pirouetted 
about  the  atoll  in  the  mad  glee  of  unconsciousness.  Here 
and  there  it  cleared  lanes,  hundreds  of  yards  in  length, 
among  the  forest-trees  and  the  cocoanut  plantations.  The 
noise  of  snapping  and  falling  trunks  rang  thick  on  the  air. 
At  times  the  cyclone  would  swoop  down  from  above  upon 
tlic  swaying  stem  of  some  tall  and  stately  palm  that  bent 
like  grass  before  the  wind,  break  it  off  sliort  with  a  roar 
at  the  bottom,  and  lay  it  low  at  once  u[^on  tlie  ground, 
with  a  crash  like  thunder.  In  other  places,  little  playful 
whirlwinds  seemed  to  descend  from  the  sky  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  dense  brushwood,  where  tlicy  cleared  circi  lar 
patches,  strewn  thick  under  foot  with  trunks  and  branches 
in  their  titanic  sport,  and  yet  left  unhurt  all  about  the 
surrounding  forest.  Then  again  a  special  cyclone  of 
gigantic  proportions  would  advance,  as  it  were,  in  a  single 
column  against  one  stem  of  a  clump,  whirl  round  it  spiral- 
ly like  a  lightning  Hash,  and,  deserting  it  for  another, 
leave  it  still  standing,  but  turned  and  twisted  like  a  screw 
by  the  irresistible  force  of  its  invisible  fingers.  The  s'orm- 
god,  said  Toko,  was  dancing  with  the  palm-trees.  The 
sight  was  awful.  Such  destructive  energy  Felix  had  never 
even  ima2:ined  before.  No  wonder  the  savaires  all  rou.ul 
beheld  in  it  the  personal  wrath  of  some  mighty  spirit. 

For  in  spite  of  the  black  clouds  they  could  sec  it  all — 
both  the  Europeans  and  the  islanders.  The  intense  dark- 
ness of  the  night  was  lighted  up  for  them  every  minute  by 
an  almost  incessant  blaze  of  sheet  and  forked  liij^htninir. 
The  roar  of  the  thunder  mingled  with  the  roar  of  the  tem- 
pest, each  in  turn  overtopping  and  drowning  the  other. 
Tlie  hut  where  Felix  and  INIuriel  sheltered  themselves 
shook  before  the  storm  ;  the  verv  ground  of  the  island 
trembled  and  quivered--like  the  timbers  of  a  great  ship 
before  a  mighty  sea — at  each  onset  of  the  breakers  upon 
the  surrounding  fringe-reef.  And  side  by  side  with  it  all, 
to  crown  their  miscy,  wild  torrents  of  rain,  descenuing  in 


li' 


r 


80 


TI/E   GREAT  TABOO. 


\  i 


fir . 


I 


ir 


walv  ispouts,  as  it  seemed,  or  dashed  in  great  sheets  against 
the  roof  of  their  frail  teneinent,  poured  fitfully  on  witli 
fierce  tropical  energy. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hut  Muriel  crouched  and  prayed 
with  bloodless  lips  to  Heaven.  This  was  too,  too  terrible. 
It  seemed  incredible  to  her  that  on  top  of  all  tiiey  had  been 
called  upon  to  suffer  of  fear  and  suspense  at  the  hands  of 
the  savages,  the  very  dumb  forces  of  nature  themselves 
should  tlius  be  stirred  up  to  open  war  against  them.  Iler 
faith  in  Providence  was  sorely  tried.  Dumb  forces,  in- 
deed !  Wliy,  they  roared  with  more  terrible  voices  than 
any  wild  beast  on  earth  could  possibly  compass.  Tlie 
thunder  and  the  wind  were  liowlino:  each  other  down  in 
emulous  din,  and  the  very  hiss  of  the  lightning  could  be 
distinctly  heard,  like  some  huge  snake,  at  times  above  the 
creaking  and  snapping  of  the  trees  before  the  gale  in  the 
surrounding  forest. 

Muriel  crouched  there  long,  in  the  mute  misery  of  utter 
despair.  At  her  feet  jNIali  crouched  too,  as  frightened  as 
herself,  but  muttering  aloud  from  time  to  time,  in  a  re- 
proachful voice,  "1  tell  Missy  Oucenie  wliat  going  to  hap- 
pen. I  warn  her  not.  I  tell  her  she  nnist  not  eat  that 
very  bad  storm-apple.  But  jNIissy  Oueenie  no  listen.  Ilcr 
take  her  own  way,  then  storm  come  down  upon  us." 

And  Felix's  Shadow,  in  his  own  tongue,  exclaimed  more 
than  once  in  the  self-same  tone,  half  terror,  half  expostu- 
lation, "  See  now  what  comes  from  breaking  taboo  ?  You 
eat  the  storm-fruit.  The  storm-fruit  suits  ill  with  the 
Kino:  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds.  The 
heavens  have  broken  loose.  The  sea  has  boiled.  See 
what  wind  and  what  flood  you  are  bringing  upon  us." 

By  and  by,  above  even  the  fierce  roar  of  the  mingled 
thunder  and  cyclone,  a  wild  orgy  of  noise  burst  upon  them 
all  from  without  the  hut.  It  was  a  sound  as  of  numberless 
drums  and  tom-toms,  all  beaten  in  unison  with  the  mad 
energy  of  fear  ;  a  hideous  sound,  suggestive  of  some  hateful 
heathen  devil-worship.     Muriel  clapped  her  hands  to  her 


THE   ORE  AT  TABOO. 


8i 


ears  in  horror.  ''OIi,  wli.iL's  iliat  ?"  she  cried  to  Felix,  at 
this  new  addition  to  tlicir  endless  alarms.  "Arc  the  sav- 
ages out  there  rising  in  a  body  ?  Have  they  come  to  mur- 
der us  ? " 

"  Perhaps,"  Felix  said,  smoothing  her  hair  with  his 
hand,  as  a  mother  might  soothe  her  terrified  child,  "  per- 
haps tliey're  angry  with  us  for  having  caused  this  storm, 
as  they  think,  by  our  foolish  action.  I  believe  they  all  set 
it  down  to  our  having  unluckily  eaten  that  unfortunate 
fruit.      I'll  go  out  to  the  door  myself  and  speak  to  them." 

Muriel  clung  to  his  arm  with  a  passionate  clinging. 

"Oh,  Felix,"  she  cried,  "no!  Don't  leave  me  here 
alone.  Aly  darling,  I  love  you.  You're  all  tlie  world 
there  is  left  to  me  now,  Felix.  Don't  go  out  to  tliose 
wretches  and  leave  me  here  alone.  They'll  murder  you ! 
they'll  murder  you!  Don't  go  out,  I  implore  you.  If 
they  mean  to  kill  us,  let  them  kill  us  both  together,  in 
one  another's  arms.  Oh,  Felix,  I  am  yours,  and  you  are 
mine,  my  darling  !  " 

It  was  the  first  time  either  of  them  had  acknowledged  the 
fact ;  but  there,  before  the  face  of  that  awful  convulsion 
of  nature,  all  the  little  deceptions  and  veils  of  life  seemed 
rent  asunder  forever  as  by  a  flash  of  lightning.  They 
stood  face  to  face  w^ith  each  other's  souls,  and  forgot  all 
else  in  the  agony  of  the  moment.  Felix  clasped  the  trem- 
bling girl  in  his  arms  like  a  lover.  The  two  Shadows 
looked  on  and  shook  with  silent  terror.  If  the  King  of  the 
Rain  thus  embraced  the  Oueen  of  the  Clouds  before  their 
very  eyes,  amid  so  awful  a  storm,  what  utispeakable  effects 
might  not  follow  at  once  from  it !  KuL  they  Kid  too  much 
respect  for  those  supernatural  creatures  to  attem{.  t  to  in- 
terfere with  their  action  at  such  a  moment.  They  ac- 
cepted their  masters  almost  as  passively  as  they  accepted 
the  wind  and  the  thunder,  which  they  believed  to  arise 
from  them. 

Felix  laid  his  poor  Muriel  tendcrlv  down  on  the  mud 
floor  again.     "I  must  go  out,  my  child,"  lie  said.      "For 

(^ 


fi 


82 


THE   GREAT  TAnOO. 


\    i 


the  very  love  of  you,  I  must  play  the  man,  and  find  out 
what  these  savages  mean  by  their  drumming." 

He  crept  to  the  door  of  the  hut  (for  no  man  could  walk 
upright  before  that  awful  storm),  and  peered  out  into  tlic 
darkness  once  more,  awaiting  one  of  tlie  frequent  Hashes 
of  lightning.  He  had  not  long  to  wait.  In  a  moment 
the  sky  was  all  ablaze  again  from  end  to  end,  and  con- 
tinued so  for  many  seconds  consecutively.  By  the  light 
of  the  continuous  zigzags  of  fire,  Felix  could  see  for  him- 
self that  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  natives — men,  women, 
and  children,  naked,  or  nearly  so,  with  their  hair  loose 
and  wet  about  their  cheeks — lay  Hat  on  their  faces,  many 
courses  deep,  just  outside  the  taboo  line.  The  wind  swept 
over  them  with  extraordinary  force,  and  the  tropical  rain 
descended  in  great  floods  upon  their  bare  backs  and 
shoulders.  But  the  savages,  as  if  entranced,  seemed  to 
take  no  heed  of  all  tliese  earthly  things.  They  lay  grovel- 
ling in  the  mud  before  some  unseen  power  ;  and  beating 
their  tom-toms  in  unison,  with  barbaric  concord,  they 
cried  aloud  once  more  as  Felix  appeared,  in  a  weird  litany 
that  overtopped  the  tumultuous  noise  of  the  tempest, 
*' Oh,  Storm-God,  hear  us  !  Oh,  great  spirit,  deliver  us  ! 
Kinc:  of  the  Rain  and  (^uccn  of  the  Clouds,  befriend  us ! 
Be  angry  no  more  !  Hide  your  wrath  from  your  people  ! 
Take  away  your  hurricane,  and  we  will  bring  you  many 
gifts.  Eat  no  longer  of  the  storm-apple — the  seed  of  the 
wind — and  we  will  feed  you  with  yam  and  turtle,  and  much 
choice  bread-fruit.  Great  king,  we  are  yours  ;  you  shall 
choose  which  you  will  of  our  children  for  your  meat  and 
drink  ;  you  shall  sup  on  our  blood.  But  take  your  storm 
away;  do  not  utterly  drown  and  submerge  our  island!" 

As  they  spoke  they  crawled  nearer  and  nearer,  with 
gliding  serpentine  motion,  till  tlicir  heads  almost  touched 
the  wiiito  line  oi  coral.  But  nut  a  man  of  them  all  went 
one  inch  beyond  it.  They  stopped  there  and  gazed  at 
him.  Felix  signed  to  tluMu  with  his  hand,  and  pointed 
vaguely  to  the  sky,  as  much  as  io  say  he  was  not  responsi- 


' 


S 


'I 


r 


TUP.  CKi'.A'r  r.i/ioo. 


83 


ble.  At  the  gesture  ihc  whole  assembly  burst  into  one 
loud  shout  of  gniliLude.  "  lie  has  heard  us,  he  has  heard 
us!"  they  cxelaimed,  wilh  a  perfect  wail  of  joy.  "lie 
will  not  utterly  destroy  us.  He  will  take  away  his  storm. 
lie  will  bring  the  sun  and  the  moon  back  to  us." 

Felix  returned  into  the  hut,  S(jmewhat  reassured  so  far 
as  the  attitude  of  the  savages  went,  "  Don't  be  afraid  of 
tlicm,  Muriel,"  he  cried,  taking  her  passionately  once  more 
in  a  tender  embrace.  "  They  daren't  cross  tiic  taboo. 
Tliey  won't  come  near  ;  they're  too  frightened  themselves 
to  dream  of  hurting  us." 


CHAPTER  Xr. 


1: 


AFTER     TIIK    STORM. 

Next  morning  the  day  broke  briglit  and  calm,  as  if  the 
tempest  had  been  but  an  evil  dream  of  ihc  night,  now 
past  forever.  The  birds  sang  loud  ;  the  lizards  came  forth 
from  their  holes  in  the  wall,  and  basked,  green  and  gold, 
in  the  warm,  dry  sunshine.  But  thougli  the  sky  overhead 
was  blue  and  tiie  air  clear,  as  usually  happen  after  these 
alarming  tropical  cyclones  and  rainstorms,  the  memorials 
of  the  great  wind  that  had  raged  all  night  long  among  the 
forests  of  the  island  were  neither  few  nor  far  between. 
Everywhere  the  ground  was  strewn  with  leaves  and 
branches  and  huge  stems  of  cocoa-palms.  All  nature  w;is 
draggled.  Many  of  the  trees  w^ere  stripped  clean  of  their 
foliage,  as  completely  as  oaks  in  an  English  winter;  on 
others,  big  strands  of  twisted  fibres  marked  the  scars  and 
joints  where  mighty  boughs  had  been  torn  away  by  niain 
force  ;  while,  elsewhere,  bare  stumps  alone  remained  to 
mark  the  former  presence  of  some  noble  dracrr na  or  some 
gigantic  banyan.  Ihcad-fruits  and  cocoanuts  lay  tossed 
in  the  wihlcst  confusion  on  the  ground  ;  the  banana  and 
plantain-patches  were  beaten  level  with  the  soil  or  buried 


ii. 


{!• 


'  V  \:\ 


¥ 


84 


7///i    GREAT  TABOO. 


I 


deep  in  the  mud  ;  many  of  the  huts  had  given  way  en- 
tirely ;  abundant  wreckage  strewed  every  corner  of  the 
island.  It  was  an  awful  sight.  Muriel  shuddered  to  her- 
self to  see  how  much  the  two  that  night  had  passed 
througli. 

What  the  ouler  fringing  reef  had  suffered  from  the 
storm  tiiey  hardly  knew  as  yet ;  but  from  tlic  door  of  the 
hut  Felix  could  see  for  himself  how  even  the  calm  waters 
of  the  inner  lagoon  had  been  lashed  into  wild  fury  by  tlic 
fierce  swoop  of  the  tempest.  Round  the  entire  atoll  the 
solid  conglomerate  coral  llocjr  was  scooped  under,  broken 
up,  chewed  fine  by  tlie  waves,  or  thrown  in  vast  fragments 
on 'the  beach  of  the  island.  By  the  eastern  sliore,  in  par- 
ticular, just  opposite  their  hut,  Felix  observed  a  regular 
wall  of  many  feet  in  height,  piled  up  by  the  waves  like 
the  familiar  Chesil  Beach  near  his  old  home  in  Dorset- 
shire. It  was  the  shelter  of  that  temporary  barrier  alone, 
no  doubt,  that  had  preserved  their  huts  last  night  from  the 
full  fury  of  the  gale,  and  that  had  allowed  the  natives  to 
congregate  in  such  numbers  prone  on  their  faces  in  the 
mud  and  rain,  upon  the  unconsecrated  ground  outside 
their  taboo-line. 

But  now  not  an  islander  was  to  be  seen  within  ear-shot. 
All  had  gone  away  to  look  after  their  ruined  huts  or  their 
beaten-down  plantain-patches,  leaving  the  cruel  gods, 
who,  as  they  tliought,  had  wrought  all  the  mischief  out  of 
pure  wantonness,  to  repent  at  leisure  the  harm  done  dur- 
ing tlie  night  to  their  obedient  votaries. 

Felix  was  just  about  to  cross  the  taboo-line  and  walk 
down  to  the  shore  to  examine  the  barrier,  when  Toko,  his 
Shadow,  laying  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  with  more  genu- 
ine interest  and  affection  than  he  had  ever  yet  shown,  ex- 
claimed, with  some  horror,  "  Oh,  no  !  Not  tliat !  Don't 
dare  to  go  outside  !  It  would  be  very  dangerous  for  you. 
If  my  people  were  to  catch  you  on  profane  soil  just  now, 
there's  no  saying  what  harm  they  might  do  to  yon." 

"  Why  so  ?"  Felix  exclaimed,  in  surprise.     "  Last  niglit, 


THE   GREAT   TABOO. 


all 


d 


^5 


1 


surely,  they  were  all  prayers  aiui  promises  ana  vows  an 
entreaties." 

The  young  man  nodded  his  head  in  acquiescence.  "All, 
yes  ;  last  niglit,"  he  answered.  '*  That  was  very  well  then. 
Vows  were  sore  needed.  Tlie  storm  was  raginLj,  and  yuu 
were  within  your  taboo.  How  ccnild  they  dare  to  tunc  h 
you,  a  miglity  god  of  the  tempest,  at  tlie  very  nuMniMii: 
when  you  were  rending  their  banyan-trees  and  snaj)ping 
their  cocoanut  stems  with  your  miglity  arms  like  S(.)  many 
little  chicken-bones  ?  Even  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  I  ex- 
pect, the  very  high  god,  lay  frightened  in  iiis  temple,  ccnv- 
ering  by  his  tree,  annoyed  at  your  wrath  ;  he  sent  Fire  and 
Water  among  the  w(M-shippers,  no  doubt,  to  offer  up  vows 
and  to  appease  your  anger." 

Then  Felix  remembered,  as  his  Shadow  spoke,  that,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  observed  the  men  who  usually 
wore  the  red  and  white  feather  cloaks  among  the  motlev 
crowd  of  grovelling  natives  who  lay  flat  on  their  faces  in 
the  mud  of  the  cleared  space  the  night  before,  and  prayed 
hard  for  mercy.  Only  they  were  not  wearing  their  robes 
of  office  at  tlie  moment,  in  accordance  with  a  well-known 
savage  custom  •,  they  had  come  naked  and  in  disgrace,  as 
befits  all  suppliants.  Tiiey  had  left  behind  them  the  in- 
signia of  tlieir  rank  in  their  own  shaken  huts,  and  bowed 
down  their  bare  backs  to  the  rain  and  the  lightning. 

"Yes,  I  saw  them  among  the  other  islanders,"  Felix  an- 
swered, half-smiling,  but  prudently  remaining  within  the 
taboo-line,  as  his  Shadow  advised  him. 

Toko  kept  his  hand  still  on  his  master's  shoulder.  ''Oh, 
king,"  he  said,  beseechingly,  and  with  great  solemnity,  "  I 
am  doing  wrong  to  warn  you  ;  I  am  breaking  a  very  great 
Taboo.  I  don't  know  what  harm  may  come  to  me  for 
telling  you.  Perhaps  Tu-Kila-Kila  will  burn  me  to  ashes 
with  one  glance  of  his  eyes.  He  may  know  this  minute 
what  I'm  saying  here  alone  to  you." 

It  is  hard  for  a  white  man  to  meet  scruples  like  this  ; 
but  Felix  was  bold  enough  to  answer  outright:  "  Tu-Kila- 


IN  .       «L 


i:! 


!'i 


I       .  i 


86 


TlfE   GREAT  TAliOO. 


I  ( 


I 


:     i 


IM 


i:  : 


Kila  knows  nothing  of  tlic  sort,  luui  can  never  find  out. 
Take  my  word  for  it,  Toko,  nothing  that  you  say  to  me 
will  ever  reach  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

The  Shadow  looked  at  hiai  doubtfully,  and  trembled  as 
he  spoke.  *'  I  like  you,  Korong,"  he  said,  with  a  genuinely 
truthful  ring  in  his  voice.  "  You  seem  to  me  so  kind  and 
good — so  different  from  other  gods,  who  arc  very  cruel. 
You  never  beat  mc.  Nobody  I  ever  served  treated  me  as 
well  or  as  kindly  as  you  have  done.  And  for  your  sake  I 
will  even  dare  to  break  taboo — if  you're  quite,  quite  sure 
Tu-Kila-Kila  will  never  discover  it." 

"  I'm  quite  sure,"  Felix  answered,  with  perfect  confi- 
dence. "  I  know  it  for  certain.  I  swear  a  great  oath  to 
it." 

**  You  swear  by  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  ?  "  the  young  sav- 
age asked,  anxiously. 

"  I  swear  by  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,"  Felix  replied  at  once. 
"I  swear,  without  doubt.     He  can  never  know  it." 

"That  is  a  great  Taboo,"  the  Shadow  went  on,  medita- 
tively, stroking  Felix's  arm.  "  A  very  great  Taboo  indeed. 
A  terrible  medicine.  And  you  arc  a  god  ;  I  can  trust  you. 
Well,  then,  you  see,  the  secret  is  this  :  you  arc  Korong, 
but  you  are  a  stranger,  and  you  don't  understand  the  ways 
of  Boupari.  If  for  three  days  after  the  end  of  this  storm, 
which  Tu-Kila-Kila  has  sent  Fire  and  Water  to  pray  and 
vow  against,  you  or  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  show  your- 
selves outside  your  own  taboo-line — why,  then,  the  people 
are  clear  of  sin  ;  whoever  takes  you  may  rend  you 
alive  ;  they  will  tear  you  limb  from  limb  and  cut  you  into 
pieces." 

"  Why  so  ? "  Felix  asked,  aghast  at  this  discovery.  They 
seemed  to  live  on  a  perpetual  volcano  in  this  wonderful 
island  ;  and  a  volcano  ever  breaking  out  in  fresh  places. 
They  could  never  get  to  the  bottom  of  its  horrible  super- 
stitions. 

"  Because  you  ate  the  storm-apple,"  the  Shadow  an- 
swered, confidently.    '*  That  was  very  wrong.     You  brought 


Till:  CKi.Ar  r.moo. 


87 


the  tempest  upon  us  yourselves  by  your  own  trespass  ; 
therefore,  by  the  custom  of  lioupiui,  whicli  we  learn  in 
tlie  mysteries,  you  become  full  Ivorong  for  the  sacrifice  at 
once.  That  makes  the  term  for  you.  The  people  will 
give  you  all  your  dues;  then  they  will  say,  *  Wc  aie  free  ; 
we  have  bought  you  with  a  price  ;  we  have  brougiit  your 
cocoanuts.  No  sin  attaches  to  us  ;  we  are  righteous  ;  we 
are  righteous.'  And  then  they  will  kill  you,  and  Fire  ani.1 
Water  will  roast  you  and  boil  you." 

"  But  only  if  we  go  outside  the  taboo-line  ?"  Felix  asked, 
anxiously. 

''Only  if  you  go  outside  the  taboo  line,"  the  Shadow 
replied,  nodding  a  hasty  assent.  '*  Inside  it,  till  your  term 
comes,  even  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  t^he  very  high  god,  whose 
meat  we  all  arc,  dare  never  hurt  you." 

**  Till  our  term  comes?"  Felix  inquired,  once  more  as- 
tonished and  perplexed.  "  What  do  you  mean  by  that, 
my  Shadow  ? " 

But  the  Shadow  was  either  bound  by  some  j'iperstitious 
fear,  or  else  incapable  of  putting  himself  into  Felix's 
point  of  view.  "  Why,  till  you  are  full  Korong,"  he  an- 
swered, like  one  who  speaks  of  some  familiar  fact,  as 
who  should  say,  till  you  are  forty  years  old,  or,  till  your 
beard  grows  white.  "Of  course,  by  and  by,  you  will  be 
full  Korong.  I  cannot  help  you  then  ;  but,  till  that  time 
comes,  I  would  like  to  do  my  best  by  you.  You  have 
been  very  kind  to  me.  I  tell  you  nl'uch.  More  than  this, 
it  would  not  be  lawful  for  me  to  mention." 

And  that  was  the  most  that,  by  dexterous  questioning, 
Felix  could  ever  manage  to  get  out  of  his  mysterious 
Shadow. 

"  At  the  end  of  three  days  we  will  be  safe,  though  ?"  he 
inquired  at  last,  after  all  other  questions  failed  to  pro- 
duce an  answer. 

"Oh,  yes,  at  the  end  of  three  days  the  storm  will  have 
blown  over,"  the  young  man  answered,  easily.  "All  will 
then  be  well.     You   may  venture  out  once    more.     The 


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r///i    GREAT  TABOO. 


rain  will  have  dried  over  iiU  the  island.     Fire  and  Water 
will  iiave  no  more  power  over  you." 

Felix  went  back  to  the  hut  to  inform  Muriel  of  this  new 
peril  thus  suddenly  sprung  upon  them.  Poor  Muriel, 
now  almost  worn  out  with  endless  terrors,  received  it 
calmly.  "I'm  growing  accustomed  to  it  all,  Felix,"  she 
answered,  resignedly.  '*  If  only  I  know  that  you  will 
keep  your  promise,  and  never  let  me  fall  alive  into  these 
wrctclics'  hands,  I  shall  feel  quite  safe.  Oh,  Felix,  do 
you  know  when  you  took  me  in  your  arms  like  that  last 
night,  in  spite  of  everything,  I  felt  positively  happy." 

About  ten  o'clock  they  were  suddenly  roused  by  a 
sound  of  many  natives,  coming  in  quick  succession,  single 
file,  to  the  huts,  and  shouting  aloud,  "  Oh,  King  of  the 
Rain,  oh,  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  come  forth  for  our  vows  ! 
Receive  your  presents!  " 

Felix  went  forth  to  the  door  to  look.  With  a  warning 
look  in  his  eyes,  his  Shadow  followed  him.  The  natives 
were  now  coming  up  by  dozens  at  a  time,  wringing  with 
tiiem,  in  great  arm-loads,  fallen  cocoanuts  and  bread- 
fruits, and  branches  of  bananas,  and  large  draggled  clus- 
ters of  half-ripe  plantains. 

"Why,  what  are  all  these?"  Felix  exclaimed  in  sur- 
prise. 

His  Shadow  looked  up  at  him,  as  if  amused  at  the  ab- 
surd simplicity  of  the  question.  "These  are  yours,  of 
course,"  he  said  ;  "yours  and  the  Queen's;  they  are  the 
windfalls  you  made.  Did  you  not  knock  them  all  off  the 
trees  for  yourselves  when  you  were  coming  down  in  such 
sheets  from  the  sky  last  evening  ?" 

Felix  wrung  his  hands  in  positive  despair.  It  was 
clear,  indeed,  that  to  the  minds  of  the  natives  there  was 
no  distinguishing  personally  between  himself  and  Muriel, 
and  the  rain  or  the  cyclone. 

"Will  they  bring  thetn  all  in?"  he  asked,  gazing  in 
alarm  at  the  huge  pile  of  fruits  the  natives  were  making 
outside  rhe  huts, 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


89 


'  ,'l 


"  Yes,  all,"  the  Shadow  answered  ;  "  they  are  vows  ;  they 
are  godsends  ;  but  if  you  like,  you  can  give  some  of  thcni 
back.  If  you  give  mucli  back,  of  course  it  will  make  my 
people  less  angry  with  you." 

Felix  advanced  near  the  line,  holding  his  hand  up  before 
him  lo  command  silence.  As  he  did  so,  he  was  absolutely 
appalled  himself  at  the  perfect  storm  of  execration  and 
abuse  wliich  hisappcarance  excited.  The  foremost  natives, 
brandishing  tlieir  clubs  and  stone-lipped  spears,  or  shak- 
ing their  fists  by  the  line,  poured  fortli  upon  his  devoted 
head  at  once  all  the  most  frightful  curses  of  the  Polyne- 
sian vocabulary.  "Oh,  evil  god,"  tlicy  cried  aloud  with 
angry  faces,  "oh,  wicked  spirit!  you  have  a  bad  heart. 
See  what  a  wrong  you  have  purposely  done  us.  If  your 
heart  were  not  bad,  would  you  treat  us  like  this  ?  If  you 
are  indeed  a  god,  come  out  across  the  line,  and  let  us  try 
issues  together.  Don't  skulk  like  a  coward  in  your  hut 
and  within  your  taboo,  but  come  out  and  fight  us.  We 
are  not  afraid,  who  are  only  men.  Why  are  you  afraid  of 
us?" 

Felix  tried  to  speak  once  more,  but  the  din  drowned  his 
voice.  As  he  paused,  tiie  people  set  up  their  loud  shouts 
again.  "Oh,  you  wicked  god  !  You  eat  the  storm-apple  ! 
You  have  wrought  us  much  harm.  You  have  spoiled  our 
harvest.  How  you  came  down  in  great  slieets  last  nigi.t ! 
It  was  pitiful,  pitiful  !  We  would  like  to  kill  you.  You 
might  have  taken  our  bread-fruits  and  our  bananas,  if  you 
would  ;  we  give  you  them  freely;  they  are  yours  ;  here, 
take  thorn.  We  feed  vou  well ;  we  make  vou  manv  offcr^ 
ings.  But  why  did  you  wish  to  have  our  huts  also  ?  Why 
did  you  beat  down  our  young  plantations  and  break  our 
canoes  against  the  beach  of  the  island  ?  That  sliovvs  a  bad 
heart !  You  are  an  evil  god  !  You  dare  not  defend  your- 
self,    Come  out  and  meet  us," 


%\ 


ir 


90 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


CHAPTER  XII. 


A   POINT   OF   THEOLOGY. 


ii.r' 


r.  ! 


At  last,  with  great  difiiculty,  Felix  managed  to  secure  a 
certain  momentary  lull  of  silence.  Tlie  natives,  clusteriim: 
round  the  line  till  they  almost  touched  it,  listened  with 
scowling  brows,  and  brandished  threatening  spears,  tipped 
with  points  of  stone  or  shark's  teeth  or  turtle-bone,  while 
he  made  his  speech  to  them.  From  time  to  time,  one  or 
another  interrupted  him,  coaxing  and  wheedling  him,  as 
it  were,  to  cross  the  line;  but  Felix  never  liecded  them. 
He  was  beginning  to  understand  now  how  to  treat  this 
strange  people,  lie  took  no  notice  of  their  threats  or 
their  entreaties  either. 

By  and  by,  partly  by  words  and  partly  by  gestures,  he 
made  them  understand  that  they  might  take  back  and 
keep  for  themselves  all  the  cocoanutsand  bread-fruits  they 
had  brought  as  windfalls.  At  this  tlie  people  seemed  a 
little  appeased.  'Ilis  heart  is  not  quite  so  bad  as  we 
thought,"  they  murmured  among  themselves;  "but  if  he 
didn't  want  them,  what  did  he  mean  ?  Why  did  he  beat 
down  our  huts  and  our  plantations  ?" 

Then  Felix  tried  to  explain  to  them — a  somewhat  dan- 
gerous task — that  neither  he  nor  Muriel  were  really  re- 
sponsible for  last  night's  storm  ;  but  at  that  the  people, 
witii  one  accord,  raised  a  great  loud  shout  of  unmixed  de- 
rision. "  He  is  a  god,"  they  cried,  "  and  yet  he  is  ashamed 
of  his  own  acts  and  deeds,  afraid  of  what  we,  mere  men, 
will  do  to  him  !  Ha  !  ha !  Take  care  !  These  are  lies 
that  he  tells.     Listen  to  him  !     Hear  him  !  " 

Meanwhile,  more  and  more  natives  kept  coming  up  with 
windfalls  of  fruit,  or  with  objects  they  had  vowed  in  their 
terror  to  dedicate  during  the  night;  and  Felix  all  the  time 
kc[)t  explaining  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  to  all  as  they  came, 
that  he  wanted  notliinir.  and  lliat  tiiey  could  tal<C  (ill  back 


THE    GREA'l'   /'.moo. 


91 


again. 


les 


le, 


This  curiously  inconsistent  action  seemed  to  puz- 
zle the  wondering  natives  strangely.  Had  he  made  the 
storm,  then,  tlicy  asked,  and  eaten  the  storm-apple,  for 
no  use  to  himself,  but  out  of  pure  perverseness  ?  If  he 
didn't  even  want  tlie  windfalls  and  the  objects  vowed  to 
him,  why  had  he  beaten  down  their  crops  and  broken 
their  houses  ?  They  looked  at  him  meaningly  ;  but  they 
dared  not  cross  that  great  line  of  taboo.  It  was  their  own 
superstition  alone,  in  that  moment  of  danger,  that  kept 
their  hands  off  those  defenceless  white  people. 

At  last  a  happy  idea  seemed  to  strike  the  crowd.  "What 
he  wants  is  a  child  ?"  they  cried,  effusively.  "He  thirsts 
for  blood  !     Let  us  kill  and  roast  him  a  proper  victim  I  " 

Felix's  horror  at  this  appalling  proposition  knew  no 
bounds.  "  If  you  do,"  he  cried,  turning  their  own  super- 
stition against  them  in  this  last  hour  of  need,  "I  will  raise 
up  a  storm  worse  even  than  last  night's !  You  do  it  at 
your  peril !  I  want  no  victim.  The  people  of  my  country 
eat  not  of  human  flesh.  It  is  a  thing  detestable,  horrible, 
hateful  to  God  and  man.  With  us,  all  human  life  alike  is 
sacred.  We  spill  no  blood.  If  you  dare  to  do  as  you  say, 
I  will  raise  such  a  storm  over  your  heads  to-night  as  will 
submerge  and  drown  the  whole  of  your  island." 

The  natives  listened  to  him  with  profound  interest. 
"We  must  spill  no  blood  !  "  they  repeated,  looking  aghast 
at  one  another.  "  Hear  what  the  King  says  !  We  must 
not  cut  the  victim's  throat.  We  must  bind  a  child  witli 
cords  and  roast  it  alive  for  him  ! " 

Felix  hardly  knew  what  to  do  or  say  at  this  atrocious 
proposal.  "If  you  roast  it  alive,"  he  cried,  "yci  deserve 
to  be  all  scorched  up  with  lightning.  Take  care  what  you 
do  !  Spare  the  child's  life  !  I  will  have  no  victim.  Be- 
ware how  you  anger  me  !  " 

But  the  savage  no  sooner  says  than  he  does.  With  him 
deliberation  is  unknown,  and  impulse  everything.  In  a 
moment  the  natives  had  gathered  in  a  circle  a  little  way 
off,   and  began   drawing  lots.     Several   children,   seized 


fi 


92 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


h  w 


hurriedly  up  among  the  crowd,  were  huddled  like  so  many 
sliecp  in  the  centre.  Felix  looked  on  from  his  enclosure, 
half  petrified  with  horror.  The  lot  fell  upon  a  j)retty  little 
girl  of  five  years  old.  Without  one  word  of  warning,  with- 
out one  sign  of  remorse,  before  Felix's  very  eyes,  they 
b'.;gan  to  bind  the  struggling  and  terrified  child  just  out- 
side the  circle. 

The  white  man  could  stand  this  horrid  barbarity  no 
longer.  At  the  risk  of  his  life — at  the  risk  of  Muriel's — 
he  must  rush  out  to  prevent  them.  They  should  never 
dare  to  kill  that  helpless  child  before  his  very  eyes.  Come 
whtit  might — though  even  Muriel  should  suffer  for  it — he 
felt  he  must  rescue  that  trembling  little  creature.  Draw- 
ing his  trusty  knife,  and  opening  the  big  blade  ostenta- 
tiously before  their  eyes,  he  made  a  sudden  dart  like  a 
wild  beast  across  the  line,  and  pounced  down  upon  the 
party  that  guarded  the  victim. 

Was  it  a  ruse  to  make  him  cross  the  line,  alone,  or  did 
they  really  mean  it  ?  He  hardly  knew  ;  but  he  had  no 
time  to  debate  the  abstract  question.  Bursting  into  their 
midst,  he  seized  the  child  with  a  rush  in  his  circling  arms, 
and  tried  to  hurry  back  with  it  within  the  protecting  taboo- 
line. 

Quick  as  lightning  he  was  surrounded  and  almost  cut 
down  by  a  furious  and  frantic  mob  of  half-naked  savages. 
"  Kill  him !  Tear  him  to  pieces  !  "  they  cried  in  their 
rage.  *'  He  has  a  bad  heart !  He  destroyed  our  huts ! 
He  broke  down  our  plantations !  Kill  him,  kill  him,  kill 
him  !  '^ 

As  they  closed  in  upon  him,  with  spears  and  tomahawks 
and  clubs,  Felix  saw  he  had  nothing  left  for  it  now  but  a 
hard  fight  for  life  to  return  to  the  taboo-line.  Holding 
the  child  in  one  arm,  and  striking  wildly  out  with  his 
knife  with  the  other,  he  tried  to  hack  his  way  back  by 
main  force  to  the  shelter  of  the  taboo-line  in  frantic  lunges. 
The  distance  was  but  a  few  feet,  but  the  savages  pressed 
round  him,  half  frightened  still,  yet  gnashing  their  teeth 


THE  (iia-.Ar  r.inoo. 


'jd 


:s 

la. 

lis 

Is. 

Id 
h 


and  distorting  their  faces  with  anger.  "  lie  lias  broken 
the  Tabuu,"  they  cried  in  vehement  tones.  '*  lie  lias 
crossed  the  line  willingly.  Kill  him  !  Kill  him!  We  are 
free  from  sin.  We  have  bought  liim  with  u  price — with 
many  cocoanuts  !  " 

At  the  sound  of  the  struggle  going  on  so  close  outside, 
Muriel  rushed  in  frantic  liaste  and  terror  from  the  hut. 
Her  face  was  pale,  but  her  demeanor  was  resolute.  Be- 
fore Mali  could  stop  her,  she,  too,  had  crossed  the  sacred 
line  of  the  coral  mark,  and  had  Hung  herself  madly  upon 
Felix's  assailants,  to  cover  his  retreat  with  her  own  frail 
body. 

"Hold  off!"  she  cried,  in  her  horror,  in  English,  but  in 
accents  even  those  savages  could  read.  "  Vou  shall  not 
touch  him  ! " 

With  a  fierce  effort  Felix  tore  his  way  back,  through  the 
spears  and  clubs,  toward  the  place  of  safety.  The  savages 
wounded  him  on  the  way  more  than  once  with  their  jagged 
stone  spear-tips,  and  blood  flowed  from  his  breast  and 
arms  in  profusion.  But  they  didn't  dare  even  so  to  touch 
Muriel.  The  sight  of  that  pure  white  woman,  rushing  out 
in  her  weakness  to  protect  her  lover's  life  from  attack, 
seemed  to  strike  them  with  some  fresh  access  of  supersti- 
tious awe.  One  or  two  of  themselves  were  wounded  by 
Felix's  knife,  for  they  were  unaccustomed  to  steel,  though 
they  had  a  few  blades  made  out  of  old  European  barrel- 
hoops.  For  a  minute  or  two  the  conflict  was  sharp  and 
hotly  contested.  Then  at  last  Felix  managed  to  fling  the 
child  across  the  line,  to  push  Muriel  with  one  hand  at 
arm's-length  before  him,  and  to  rush  himself  within  the 
sacred  circle. 

No  sooner  had  he  crossed  it  than  the  savages  drew  up 
around,  undecided  as  yet,  but  in  a  threatening  body. 
Rank  behind  rank,  their  loose  hair  in  their  eyes,  they 
stood  like  wild  beasts  balked  of  their  prey,  and  yelled  at 
him.  Some  of  them  brandished  their  spears  and  their 
stone  hatchets  angrily  in  their  victims'  faces.     Others  con- 


II 


J 


\\- 


94 


rilE   GREAT  TABOO. 


1 1 


W',  > 


^y 


tented  themselves  with  liowHng  aloud  as  before,  and  piling 
curses  afresh  on  tlic  heads  of  tlie  unpopular  storm-gods. 
"  Look  at  her,"  they  cried,  in  their  wrath,  pointing  tlieir 
skinny  brown  fingers  angrily  at  Muriel.  "  See,  she  weeps 
even  now.  She  would  flood  us  with  her  rain.  She  isn't 
satisfied  with  all  the  harm  she  has  poured  down  upon 
Boupari  already.     She  wants  to  drown  us." 

And  tlien  a  little  knot  drew  up  close  to  the  line  of  taboo 
itself,  and  began  to  discuss  in  loud  and  serious  tones  a 
pressing  question  of  savage  tlieology  and  religious  prac- 
tice. 

**  They  have  crossed  the  line  within  the  three  days," 
some  of  the  foremost  warriors  exclaimed,  in  excited  voices. 
'"  They  are  no  longer  taboo.  We  can  do  as  we  please  witii 
them.  Wc  may  cross  the  line  now  ourselves  if  wc  will, 
and  tear  them  to  pieces.  Come  on !  Who  follows  ? 
Korong !  Korong !  Let  us  rend  them !  Let  us  cat 
them!" 

But  though  they  spoke  so  bravely  they  hung  back 
themselves,  fearful  of  passing  that  mysterious  barrier. 
Others  of  the  crowd  answered  them  back,  warmly  :  "  No, 
no  ;  not  so.  Be  careful  wliat  you  do.  Anger  not  the 
gods.  Don't  ruin  Boupari.  If  the  Taboo  is  not  indeed 
broken,  then  how  dare  we  break  it  ?  They  are  gods. 
Fear  their  vengeance.  They  are,  indeed,  terrible.  See 
what  happened  to  us  when  they  merely  ate  of  the  storm- 
apple  !  Wiiat  might  not  happen  if  we  were  to  break  taboo 
witliout  due  cause  and  kill  them  ? " 

One  old,  gray-bearded  warrior,  in  particular,  held  his 
countrymen  back.  "  Mind  how  you  trifle  with  gods,"  the 
old  chief  said,  in  a  tone  of  solemn  warning.  "  Mind  how 
you  provoke  them.  They  are  very  mighty.  When  I  was 
young,  our  people  killed  three  sailing  gods  who  came 
ashore  in  a  small  canoe,  built  of  thin  split  logs  ;  and  with- 
in a  month  an  awful  earthquake  devastated  Boupari,  and 
fire  burst  forth  from  a  mouth  in  the  ground,  and  the  people 
knew  that  the  spirits  of  the  sailing  gods  were  very  angry. 


THE   GREAT  TAliOO. 


95 


Wait,  therefore,  till  Tu-Kila-Kihi  himself  comes,  and  then 
ask  of  him,  and  of  Fire  and  Water.  As  Tu-Kila-Kila  bids 
yuii,  lliat  do  you  do.  Is  he  not  our  great  god,  the  king  of 
us  all,  and  the  guardian  of  the  customs  of  the  island  of 
Boupari  ?" 

**  Is  Tu-Kila-Kila  coming?"  some  of  the  warriors  asked, 
with  bated  breath. 

"  How  should  he  not  come  ?"  the  old  chief  asked,  draw- 
ing himself  up  very  erect.  "  Know  you  not  the  mysteries  ? 
The  rain  has  put  out  all  the  fires  in  Buupari.  The  King  of 
Fire  himself,  even  his  hearth  is  cold.  He  tried  his  best  in 
the  storm  to  keep  his  sacred  embers  still  smouldering  ;  but 
the  King  of  the  Rain  was  stronger  than  he  was,  and  put  it 
out  at  last  in  spite  of  his  endeavors.  Be  careful,  therefore, 
how  you  deal  with  the  King  of  the  Rain,  who  comes  down 
among  lightnings,  and  is  so  very  powerful." 

"  And  Tu-Kila-Kila  comes  to  fetch  fresh  fire?"  one  of 
the  nearest  savages  asked,  with  profound  awe. 

"  He  comes  to  fetch  fresh  fire,  new  fire  from  the  sun," 
the  old  man  answered,  with  awe  in  his  voice.  "  These  for- 
eign gods,  are  they  not  strangers  from  the  sun  ?  Tlicy 
have  brought  the  divine  seeds  of  fire,  growing  in  a  shining 
box  that  reflects  the  sunlight.  They  need  no  rubbing- 
sticks  and  no  drill  to  kindle  fresh  flame.  They  touch  the 
seed  on  the  box,  and,  lo,  like  a  miracle,  fire  bursts  forth 
from  the  wood  spontaneous.  Tu-Kila-Kila  comes,  to  be- 
hold this  miracle." 

The  warriors  hung  back  with  doubtful  eyes  for  a  mo- 
ment. Then  they  spoke  with  one  accord,  "Tu-Kila-Kila 
shall  decide.  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  If  the  great 
god  says  the  Taboo  holds  good,  we  will  not  hurt  or  offend 
the  strangers.  But  if  the  great  god  says  the  Taboo  is 
broken,  and  we  are  all  without  sin — then,  Korong!  Korong ! 
we  will  kill  them  !     We  will  eat  them  ! " 

As  the  two  parties  thus  stood  glaring  at  one  another, 
across  that  narrow  imaginary  wall,  another  cry  went  up  to 
heaven  at  the  distant  sound  of  a  peculiar  tom-tom.     "  Tu- 


'^\ 


m. 


.1- 


rl; 


w 


9« 


rifE  cri:at  taboo. 


Kila-Kila  comes!"  they  shouted.  "Our  great  god  ap- 
proaches !  Women,  begone  !  Men,  hide  your  eyes  !  Fly, 
lly  from  the  brightness  of  his  face,  which  is  as  the  sun  in 
glory  !    Tu-Kila-Kila  comes  !    Fly  far,  all  profane  ones  ! " 

And  in  a  moment  the  women  had  disappeared  into  space, 
and  the  men  lay  Hat  on  the  moist  ground  with  low  groans 
of  surprise,  and  hid  their  faces  in  their  hands  in  abject  ter- 
ror. 


i  •  i 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

AS   BETWEEN   GODS. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  came  up  in  his  grandest  panoply.  The 
great  umbrella,  with  the  hanging  cords,  rose  high  over  his 
head  ;  the  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  in  their 
robes  of  state,  marched  slowly  by  his  side  ;  a  whole  group 
of  si  and  temple  attendants,  clapping  hands  in  unison, 

followed  obedient  at  his  sacred  heels.  But  as  soon  as  he 
reached  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  huts  and  began  to 
speak,  Felix  could  easily  see,  in  spite  of  his  own  agitation 
and  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  that  the  implacable 
god  himself  was  profoundly  frightened.  Lact  night's  storm 
had,  indeed,  been  terrible  ;  but  Tu-Kila-Kila  mentally 
coupled  it  with  Felix's  attitude  toward  himself  at  their  last 
interview,  and  really  believed  in  his  owm  heart  he  had  met, 
after  all,  with  a  stronger  god,  more  powerful  than  himself, 
who  could  make  the  clouds  burst  forth  in  fire  and  the 
earth  tremble.  The  savage  swaggered  a  good  deal,  to  be 
sure,  as  is  often  the  fashion  with  savages  when  frightened  ; 
but  Felix  could  see  between  the  lines,  that  he  swaggered 
only  on  the  familiar  principle  of  whistling  to  keep  your 
courage  up,  and  that  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  was  most 
unspeakably  terrified. 

"You  did  not  do  well,  O  King  of  the  Rain,  last  night," 
he  said,  after  an  interchange  of  civilities,  as  becomes 
great  gods.     "  You  have  put  out  even  the  sacred  flame  on 


77/A"   GREAT  T.lliOO. 


07 


tlic  holy  hearth  of  the  King  of  Fuc    You  have  a  bad  heart. 
Wljy  do  you  use  us  so  ? " 

"  Why  do  you  let  your  people  ofTer  human  sacrifices  ?" 
Felix  answered,  boldly,  taking  advantage  of  his  position. 
•*  They  are  liateful  in  our  sight,  these  cannibal  ways. 
WInle  we  remain  on  the  island,  no  human  life  shall  be  un- 
justly taken.     Do  you  understand  me?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back,  and  gazed  around  him  suspi- 
ciously. In  all  his  experience  no  one  had  ever  dared  to 
address  him  like  that.  Assuredly,  the  stranger  from  the 
sun  must  be  a  very  great  god — how  great,  he  hardly  dared 
to  himself  to  realize.  lie  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "When 
we  mighty  deities  of  the  first  order  speak  together,  face  to 
face,"  he  said,  with  an  uneasy  air,  "  it  is  not  well  that  the 
mere  common  herd  of  men  should  overhear  our  profound 
deliberations.  Let  us  go  inside  your  hut.  Let  us  confer 
in  private." 

They  entered  the  hut  alone,  Muriel  still  clinging  to  Fe- 
lix's arm,  in  speechless  terror.  Then  Felix  at  once  began 
to  explain  the  situation.  As  he  spoke,  a  baleful  light 
gleamed  in  Tu-Kila-Kila's  eye.  The  great  god  removed 
his  mulberry-paper  mask.  He  was  evidently  delighted  at 
the  turn  things  had  taken.  If  only  he  dared — but  there  ; 
he  dared  not.  *'  Fire  and  Water  would  never  allow  it,"  he 
murmured  softly  to  himself.  "They  know  the  taboos  as 
well  as  I  do."  It  was  clear  to  Felix  that  the  savage  would 
gladly  have  sacrificed  him  if  he  dared,  and  that  he  made 
no  bones  about  letting  him  know  it ;  but  the  custom  of 
the  islanders  bound  him  as  tightly  as  it  bound  themselves, 
and  he  was  afraid  to  transgress  it. 

"  Now  listen,"  Felix  said,  at  last,  after  a  long  palaver, 
looking  in  the  savage's  face  with  a  resolute  air  :  "  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  we  are  not  afraid  of  you.  We  are  not  afraid  of  all 
your  people.  I  went  out  alone  just  now  to  rescue  that 
child,  and,  as  you  see,  I  succeeded  in  rescuing  it.  Your 
people  have  wounded  me — look  at  the  blood  on  my  arms 
and  chest — but  I  don't  mind  for  wounds.     I  mean  you  to 


»* 


98 


yy/A    CREAT  TAliOO. 


\  I 


1 


do  .lb  I  say,  and  to  make  your  people  do  so,  too.  Under- 
stand, the  nation  to  which  I  belong  is  very  powerful.  Vou 
have  heard  of  the  sailing  gods  who  go  over  the  sea  in  can- 
oes of  fire,  as  swift  as  the  wind,  and  whose  weapons  are 
hollow  tubes,  that  belch  ft)rth  great  bolts  of  lightning  and 
thunder  ?  Very  well,  I  am  one  of  them.  If  ever  you  harm 
a  hair  of  our  heads,  those  sailing  gods  will  before  long  send 
one  of  their  mighty  fire-canoes,  and  bring  to  bear  upon 
your  island  their  thunder  and  lightning,  and  destroy  your 
liuts,  and  punish  you  for  the  wrong  you  have  ventured  to 
do  lis.  So  now  you  know.  Remember  that  you  act  ex- 
actly as  I  tell  you." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  was  evidently  overawed  by  the  white  man's 
resolute  voice  and  manner.  lie  had  lieard  before  of  the 
sailing  gods  (as  ihe  Polynesians  of  the  old  school  still  call 
the  Europeans)  ;  and  though  but  one  or  two  stray  individ- 
uals among  then  had  ever  reached  his  remote  island 
(mostly  as  castaways),  he  was  quite  well  enough  ac- 
quainted with  their  might  and  power  to  be  deeply  im- 
pressed by  Felix's  exhortation.  So  he  tried  to  temporize. 
**  Very  well,"  he  made  answer,  with  his  jauntiest  air,  as- 
suming a  tone  of  friendly  good-fellowship  toward  his 
brother-god.  "  I  will  bear  it  in  mind.  I  will  try  to  hu- 
mor you.  While  your  time  lasts,  no  man  shall  hurt  you. 
But  if  I  promise  you  that,  you  must  do  a  good  turn  for 
me  instead.  You  must  come  out  before  the  people  and 
give  me  a  new  fire  from  the  sun,  that  you  carry  in  a  shin- 
ing box  about  with  you.  The  King  of  Fire  has  allowed 
his  sacred  flame  to  go  out  in  deference  to  your  flood  ;  for 
last  niglit,  you  know,  you  came  down  heavily.  Never  in 
my  life  have  I  known  you  come  down  heavier.  The  King 
of  Fire  acknowledges  himself  beaten.  So  give  us  light 
now  before  the  people,  that  they  may  know  we  are  gods, 
and  may  fear  to  disobey  us." 

**  Only  on  one  condition,"  Felix  answered,  sternly  ;  for 
he  felt  he  had  Tu-Kila-Kila  more  or  less  in  his  pow  (  r  now, 
and  that  he  could  drive  a  bargain  with  him.     Wii^,  he 


ii 


Tin-:  ckEAi'  iwnoo. 


99 


wasn't  sure  ;  but  lie  saw  Tu-Kihi-Kil.-i  attached  a  profi)uiul 
iiupuftance  to  liavini;  the  sacred  lire  reli^'ilcd,  as  he 
tliouglit,  direct  fioui  heaven. 

"What  erudition  is  tliat  ? "  Tu-Kila-Kihi  asked,  ghmr- 
ing  about  him  suspiciously. 

"  Why,  that  you  give  up  in  future  human  sacrifices." 

Tu-Kihi-Kihi  gave  a  start.  Tlien  lie  rellccted  for  a  mo- 
ment. Evidently,  the  condition  seemed  to  him  a  very 
hard  one.  "Do  you  want  all  the  victims  for  yourself  and 
her,  then  ? "  he  asked,  with  a  casual  nod  aside  toward 
jNIuriel. 

Felix  drew  back,  with  Itorror  depicted  on  every  line  of 
his  face.  "Heaven  forbid!"  he  answered,  fervently. 
"We  want  no  bloodshed,  no  hiunan  victims.  We  ask  you 
to  give  up  these  horrid  practices,  because  they  shock  and 
revolt  us.  If  you  would  have  your  fire  lighted,  you  must 
promise  us  to  put  down  cannibalism  altogether  henceforth 
in  your  island." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  hesitated.  After  all,  it  was  onlv  for  a 
very  short  time  tliat  these  strangers  could  thus  beard  him. 
Their  day  would  come  soon.  They  were  but  Ktjrungs. 
Meanwhile,  it  was  best,  no  doubt,  to  effect  a  compromise. 
"  Agreed,"  he  answered,  slowly.  "I  will  put  down  hu 
man  sacrifices — so  long  as  you  live  among  us.  And  I  will 
tell  the  people  your  taboo  is  not  broken.  All  shall  be 
done  as  you  will  in  this  matter.  Now,  come  out  before 
the  crowd  and  light  the  fire  from  Heaven." 

"Remember,"  Felix  repeated,  "if  you  break  your  word, 
my  people  will  come  down  upon  you,  sooner  or  later,  in 
their  mighty  fire-canoes,  and  will  take  vengeance  for  your 
crime,  and  destroy  you  utterly." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  smiled  a  cunning  smile.  "  I  know  all 
that,"  he  answered.  **  I  am  a  god  myself,  not  a  fool,  don't 
you  see  ?  You  are  a  very  great  god,  too  ;  but  I  am  the 
greater.  No  more  of  words  between  us  two.  It  is  as  be- 
tween gods.     The  fire  !  the  fire  ! " 

Tu-Kila-Kila  replaced  his  mask.     They  proceeded  from 


PI 


II 


PI 


I 


tl'i 


1  ■ 
til' 


f 

i 


too 


T//E  GREA7'  TABOO, 


the  hut  to  the  open  space  within  the  taboo-Hne.  The  peo- 
ple still  lay  all  flat  on  their  faces.  **  Fire  and  Water,"  Tu- 
Klla-Kila  said,  in  a  commanding  tone,  **come  forward  and 
screen  me  !  " 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water  unrolled  a 
large  square  of  native  cloth,  which  they  held  up  as  a 
screen  on  two  poles  in  front  of  their  superior  deity.  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  sat  down  on  the  ground,  hugging  his  knees,  in 
the  common  squatting  savage  fasliion,  behind  the  veil  thus 
readily  formed  for  him.  "Taboo  is  removed,"  he  said,  in 
loud,  clear  tones.  "  My  people  may  rise.  The  light  will 
Rot  burn  them.  They  may  look  toward  the  place  where 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  face  is  hidden  from  them." 

The  people  all  rose  with  one  accord,  and  gazed  straight 
before  them. 

"  The  King  of  Fire  will  bring  dry  sticks,"  Tu-Kila-Kila 
said,  in  his  accustomed  regal  manner. 

The  King  of  Fire,  sticking  one  pole  of  the  screen  into 
tlie  ground  securely,  brought  forward  a  bundle  of  sun- 
dried  sticks  and  leaves  from  a  basket  beside  him. 

"  The  King  of  the  Rain,  who  has  put  out  all  our  hearths 
with  his  flood  last  night,  will  relight  them  again  with  new 
fire,  fresh  flame  from  the  sun,  rays  of  our  disk,  divine,  mys- 
tic, wonderful,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  proclaimed,  in  his  droning 
monotone. 

Felix  advanced  as  he  spoke  to  the  pile,  and  struck  a 
match  before  the  eyes  of  all  the  islanders.  As  they  saw  it 
light,  and  then  set  fire  to  the  wood,  a  loud  cry  went  up 
once  more,  "  i'u-Kila-Kila  is  great !  His  words  are  true  ! 
lie  has  brought  fire  from  the  sun  !  His  ways  are  wonder- 
ful ! " 

Tu-Kila-Kila,  from  his  point  of  vantage  behind  the 
curtain,  strove  to  improve  the  occasion  with  a  theological 
lesson.  **  That  is  the  way  we  have  !cirned  from  our  di- 
vine ancestors,  '  he  said,  slowly;  "the  rule  of  the  gods  in 
our  island  of  Boupari.  Each  god,  as  he  grows  ol'l,  rein- 
carnates himself  visin'v.     Before  he  can  grow  feeble  and 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


lOl 


111 


"uc  ! 


die  he  immolates  himself  willingly  on  his  own  altar  ;  and  a 
younger  and  a  stronger  tiian  he  receives  his  spirit.  Tims 
tlie  gods  are  always  young  and  always  with  you.  Behold 
myself,  Tu-Kila-Kila !  Am  I  not  from  old  times?  Am  I 
not  very  ancient  ?  Have  I  not  passed  through  many 
bodies  ?  Do  I  not  spring  ever  fresh  from  my  own  ashes  ? 
Do  I  not  eat  perpetually  the  tlcsh  of  new  victims  ?  Even 
so  with  fire.  The  llames  of  our  island  were  becomincf  im- 
pure.  The  King  of  Fire  saw  his  cinders  flickering.  So  I 
gave  my  word.  The  King  of  the  Rain  descended  in 
floods  upon  tliem.  He  put  tiiem  all  out.  And  now  he  re- 
kindles them.  They  burn  up  brigliter  and  fresher  than 
ever.  They  burn  to  cook  my  meat,- the  limbs  of  my  vic- 
tims. Take  heed  that  you  do  the  King  of  the  Rain  no  harm 
as  long  as  he  remains  within  his  sacred  circle.  lie  is  a 
very  great  god.  He  is  fierce  ;  he  is  cruel.  His  taboo  is 
not  broken.  Beware  !  Beware  !  Disobey  at  your  peril. 
I,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  have  spoken." 

As  he  spoke,  it  seemed  to  Felix  that  these  strange  mys- 
tic words  about  each  god  springing  fresh  from  his  own 
ashes  must  contain  the  solution  of  that  dread  problem  they 
were  trying  in  vain  to  read.  That,  perhaps,  was  the  secret 
of  Korong.  If  only  they  could  ever  manage  to  understand 
it! 

Tu-Kila-Kila  beat  his  tom-tom  twice.  In  a  second  all 
the  people  fell  flat  on  their  faces  again.  Tu-Kila-Kila 
rose  ;  the  kings  of  Fire  and  Water  held  the  umbrella  over 
him.  The  attendants  on  cither  side  clapped  hands  in  time 
to  the  sacred  tom-tom.  With  proud,  slow  tread,  the  god 
retraced  his  steps  to  his  own  palace-temple  ;  and  Muriel 
and  Felix  were  left  alone  at  last  in  their  dusty  enclosure. 

*'  Tu-Kila-Kila  hates  me,"  Felix  said,  later  in  the  day,  to 
his  attentive  Shadow. 

"  Of  course,"  the  young  man  answered,  with  a  tone  of 
natural  assent.  "To  be  sure  he  hates  you.  How  could  he 
do  otherwise  ?  You  are  Korong,  You  may  any  day  be 
his  enemy." 


1  1 1 


\ « 


r'\i 


'!  .J 


102 


7y//i    GREAT  TABOO. 


"But  he's  afraid  of  me,  too,"  Felix  went  on.  "He 
would  have  liked  to  let  the  people  tear  me  in  pieces.  Yet 
he  dared  not  risk  it.     He  sccuis  to  dread  offending  me." 

"  Of  course,"  the  Shadow  replied,  as  readily  as  before. 
"  He  is  very  much  afraid  of  you.  You  are  Korong.  You 
may  any  tlay  supplant  liiin.  He  would  like  to  get  rid  of 
you,  if  he  could  see  his  waj'.  liut  till  your  time  comes  he 
dare  not  touch  you." 

"  When  will  my  time  come?"  Felix  asked,  with  that  dim 
apprehension  of  some  horrible  end  coming  over  him  yet 
a<z:ain  in  all  its  va2:ue  weirdness. 

The  Shadow  shook  his  head.  "  That,"  he  answered,  "  it 
is  not  lawful  for  me  so  much  as  to  mention.  I  tell  you  too 
far.     You  will  know  soon  enough.     Wait,  and  be  patient." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


"MR.  THURSTAN,  I  PRESUME." 


i: 


Naturally  enough,  it  was  some  time  before  Felix  and 
Muriel  could  recover  from  the  shock  of  their  deadly  peril. 
Yet,  strange  to  say,  the  natives  at  the  end  of  three  days 
seemed  positively  to  have  forgotten  all  about  it.  Their 
loves  and  their  hates  were  as  shortlived  as  children's.  As 
soon  as  the  period  of  seclusion  was  over,  their  attentions 
to  the  two  strangers  redoubled  in  intensity.  They  were 
evidently  most  anxious,  after  this  brief  disagreement,  to 
reassure  the  new  crods,  who  came  from  the  sun,  of  their 
gratitude  and  devotion.  The  men  who  had  wounded  Felix, 
in  particular,  now  came  daily  in  the  morning  with  excep- 
tional gifts  of  fish,  fruit,  and  flowers ;  they  would  bring  a 
crab  from  the  sea,  or  a  joint  of  turtle-meat.  "  Forgive  us, 
O  king,"  they  cried,  prostrating  themselves  humbly.  "  We 
did  not  mean  to  hurt  you  ;  we  thought  your  time  had 
really  come.  You  are  a  Korong.  We  would  not  offend 
you.     Do  not  refuse  us  your  showers  because  of  our  sin. 


I 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


103 


Wc  are  very  penitent.  We  will  do  what  you  ask  of  us. 
Your  look  is  poison.  Sec,  here  is  wood  ;  here  are  leaves 
and  fire  ;  we  arc  but  your  meat  ;  choose  and  cook  which 
you  will  of  us  !  " 

It  was  useless  Felix's  trying  to  explain  to  them  that  he 
wanted  no  victims,  and  no  propitiation.  The  more  he 
protested,  the  more  tlicy  brought  gifts.  "  lie  is  a  very 
great  god,"  they  exclaimed.  "  He  wants  nothing  from  us. 
What  can  we  give  liim  that  will  be  an  acceptable  gift  ? 
Shall  wc  offer  him  ourselves,  our  wives,  our  children  ?" 

As  for  tlie  women, when  they  saw  how  thoroughly  fright- 
ened of  them  Muriel  now  was,  they  couldn't  find  means  to 
express  tlieir  regret  and  devuticMi.  Mothers  brought  their 
little  children,  whom  she  had  patted  on  the  head,  and  of- 
fered them,  just  outside  the  line,  as  presents  for  her  accept- 
ance. They  explained  to  her  Shadow  that  they  never 
meant  to  hurt  her,  and  that,  if  only  she  would  venture 
without  the  line,  as  of  old,  all  should  be  well,  and  they 
would  love  and  adore  her.  Mali  translated  to  her  mistress 
these  speeches  and  prayers.  "Them  say,  'You  come 
back,  Queenie,'  "  she  explained  in  her  broken  Queensland 
English.  "  *  Boupari  women  love  you  very  much.  Bou- 
pari  women  glad  you  come.  You  kind;  you  beautiful! 
All  Boupari  men  and  women  very  much  pleased  with  you 
and  the  gentleman,  because  you  give  back  him  cocoanut 
and  fruit  that  you  pick  in  the  storm,  and  because  you 
bring  down  fresh  fire  from  heaven.'" 

Gradually,  after  several  days,  Felix's  confidence  was  so 
far  restored  that  he  ventured  to  stroll  beyond  the  line  again  ; 
and  he  found  himself,  indeed,  most  popular  among  the 
people.  In  various  ways  he  picked  up  gradually  the  idea 
that  the  islanders  generally  disliked  Tu-Kila-Kila,  and  liked 
himself  ;  and  that  they  somehow  regarded  him  as  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  natural  enemy.  What  it  could  all  mean  he  did  not 
yet  understand,  though  some  inklings  of  an  explanation 
occasionally  occurred  to  him.  Oh,  how  he  longed  now  for 
the  Month  of  B^rds  to  end,  in  order  that  he  might  pay  his 


(It 


fi  h 


III 


i!  '  ■•!  U 


104 


Tim   GREAT  TABOO. 


\  I 


long-deferred  visit  to  the  mysterious  Frenchman,  from 
whose  voice  his  Shadow  had  lied  on  tliat  fateful  evening 
u'itii  such  sudden  precipitancy.  The  Frenchman,  he 
judged,  must  have  been  long  on  the  island,  and  could 
probably  give  him  some  satisfactory  solution  of  this  ab- 
struse problem. 

So  lie  was  glad,  indeed,  when  one  evening,  some  weeks 
later,  his  Shadow,  observing  the  sky  narrowly,  remarked 
to  him  in  a  low  voice,  "  New  moon  to-morrow  !  The  Month 
of  Birds  will  then  be  up.  In  the  morning  you  can  go  and 
see  your  brother  god  at  the  Abode  of  Birds  without  break- 
ing taboo.  The  Month  of  Turtles  begins  at  sunrise.  My 
fan;ily  god  is  a  turtle,  so  I  know  the  day  for  it." 

So  great  was  Felix's  impatience  to  settle  this  question, 
that  almost  before  the  sun  was  up  next  day  he  had  sot 
forth  from  his  hut,  accompanied  as  usual  by  his  faithful 
Shadow.  Their  way  lay  past  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple.  As 
they  went  by  the  entrance  with  the  bamboo  posts,  Felix 
happened  to  glance  aside  through  the  gate  to  the  sacred 
enclosure.  Early  as  it  was,  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  afoot  already  ; 
and,  to  Felix's  great  surprise,  was  pacing  up  and  down, 
with  that  stealthy,  wary  look  upon  his  cunning  face  that 
Muriel  had  so  particularly  noted  on  the  day  of  tlicir  first 
arrival.  His  spear  stood  in  his  hand,  and  his  tomahawk 
hung  by  his  left  side  ;  he  peered  about  him  suspiciously, 
with  a  cautious  glance,  as  he  walked  round  and  round  the 
sacred  tree  he  guarded  so  continually.  There  was  some- 
thing weird  and  awful  in  the  sight  of  that  savage  god,  thus 
condemned  by  his  own  superstition  and  the  custom  of  his 
people  to  tramp  ceaselessly  up  and  down  before  the  sacred 
banyan. 

At  siglit  of  Felix,  however,  a  sudden  burst  of  frenzy 
seemed  to  possess  at  once  all  Tu-Kila-Kila's  limbs.  He 
brandished  iiis  spear  violently,  and  set  himself  spasmodic- 
ally in  a  posture  of  defence.  His  brow  grew  black,  and 
his  eyes  darted  out  eternal  hate  and  suspicion.  It  was 
evident  he  expected  an  instant  attack,  and  was  prepared 


THE  GREAT  TABOO. 


105 


irst 
uvk 
sly, 
the 
me- 
lius 
his 
red 


In 


zy 

He 

lic- 

ind 

kvas 

Ired 


with  all  his  might  and  main  to  resist  aggression.  Yet  he 
never  offered  to  desert  his  post  by  the  tree  or  to  assume 
the  offensive.  Clearly,  he  was  guarding  the  sacred  grove 
itself  with  jealous  care,  and  was  as  eager  for  its  safety  as 
for  his  own  life  and  honor. 

Felix  passed  on,  wondering  what  it  all  could  mean,  and 
turned  with  an  inquiring  glance  to  his  trembling  Siiadow. 
As  for  Toko,  he  had  held  his  face  averted  meanwhile,  lest 
he  should  behold  the  great  god,  and  be  scorched  to  a  cin- 
der; but  in  answer  to  Felix's  mute  inquiry  he  murmured 
low:  "Was  Tu-Kila-Kila  there?  Were  all  things  right? 
Was  he  on  guard  at  his  post  by  the  ticc  already  ? " 

"Yes,"  Felix  replied,  with  that  weird  sense  of  mystery 
creeping  over  him  now  more  profoundly  than  ever.  "He 
was  on  guard  by  the  tree  and  he  looked  at  me  angrily." 

*'Ah,"  the  Shadow  remarked,  with  a  sigh  of  regret, 
"he  keeps  watch  well.  It  will  be  hard  work  to  assail 
iiim.  No  god  in  Boupari  ever  held  his  place  so  tight. 
Who  wishes  to  take  Tu-Kila-Kila's  divinity  must  get  up 
early." 

They  went  on  in  silence  to  the  little  volcanic  knoll  near 
the  centre  of  the  island.  There,  in  the  neat  garden  plot 
they  had  observed  before,  a  man,  in  the  last  relics  of  a 
Very  tattered  European  costume,  much  covered  with  a 
short  cape  of  native  cloth,  was  tending  his  flowers  and 
singing  to  himself  merrily.  His  back  was  turned  to  them 
as  they  came  up.  Felix  paused  a  moment,  unseen,  and 
caught  the  words  the  stranger  was  singing : 

**  Tres  jolie, 
Pen  polie, 

Possedant  un  gros  magot  ; 
Fort  en  gueule, 
Pas  bcguculc  ; 
Telle  etait— " 

The  stranger  looked  up,  and  paused  in  the  midst  of  his 
lines,  open-mouthed.    For  a  moment  he  stood  and  stared 


''J 


io6 


THE   GREAT  7\inOO. 


) '    ' 


11 


I    ! 


4i 


astonished.  Then,  raising  his  native  cap  with  a  graceful 
air,  and  bowing  low,  as  lie  would  have  bowed  to  a  lady  on 
the  Boulevard,  he  advanced  to  greet  a  brother  European 
with  the  familiar  words,  in  good  educated  French,  "  Mon- 
sieur, I  salute  you  !  " 

To  Felix,  the  sound  of  a  civilized  voice  in  the  midst  of 
so  much  strange  and  primitive  barbarism,  was  like  a  sud- 
den return  to  some  forgotten  world,  so  deeply  and  pro- 
foundly did  it  move  and  impress  him.  He  grasped  the 
sunburnt  Frenchman's  rugged  hand  in  his.  "  Who  are 
you  ?  "  he  cried,  m  the  very  best  Parisian  he  could  muster 
up  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  "And  how  did  you  come 
here  ? " 

"Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  no  less  pro- 
foundly moved  than  himself,  "this  is,  indeed,  wonderful! 
Do  I  hear  once  more  that  beautiful  language  spoken  ?  Do 
I  find  myself  once  more  in  the  presence  of  a  civilized  per- 
son ?  What  fortune  !  What  happiness !  Ah,  it  is  glori- 
ous, glorious." 

For  some  seconds  they  stood  and  looked  at  one  another 
in  silence,  grasping  their  hands  hard  again  and  again  with 
intense  emotion  ;  then  Felix  repeated  his  question  a  sec- 
ond time :  "  Who  are  you,  monsieur  ?  and  where  do  you 
come  from? " 

*' Your  name,  surname,  age,  occupation?"  the  French- 
man repeated,  bursting  forth  at  last  into  national  levity. 
"Ah,  monsieur,  what  a  joy  to  hear  those  well-known  in- 
quiries in  my  ear  once  more.  I  hasten  to  gratify  your 
legitimate  curiosity.  Name  :  Peyron  ;  Christian  name : 
Jules;  age:  forty-one;  occupation:  convict,  escaped 
from  New  Caledonia." 

Under  any  other  circumstances  that  last  qualification 
might  possibly  have  been  held  an  undesirable  one  in  a 
new  acquaintance.  But  on  the  island  of  Boupari,  among 
so  many  heathen  cannibals,  prejudices  pale  before  com- 
munity of  blood  ;  even  a  New  Caledonian  convict  is  at 
least  a  Christian  European.     Felix  received  the  strange 


her 

with 

sec- 

you 


THE   Cl<i:.\r   TAHOO. 


107 


announcement  without  the  faintest  sliock  of  surprise  or 
disgust,  lie  would  s^hidly  liiive  shut:en  hands  then  and 
tlierc  with  M.  Jules  Peyron,  indeed,  had  he  introduced 
himself  in  even  less  equivocal  language  as  a  forger,  a 
pickpocket,  or  an  escaped  house-breaker. 

"And  you,  monsieur?"  the  ex-convict  inquired,  po- 
litely. 

Felix  told  him  in  a  few  words  the  history  of  their  acci- 
dent and  their  arrival  on  the  island. 

'''■  Coinnicnt V  the  Frenchman  exclaimed,  with  surprise 
and  delight.  "  A  lady  as  well  ;  a  charming  English  lady  ! 
What  an  acquisition  to  the  society  of  lioupari  !  Quelle 
chance!  Quel  bonJicur !  Monsieur,  you  are  welcome,  and 
mademoiselle  too  !  And  in  what  quality  do  you  live  here  ? 
You  are  a  god,  I  see  ;  otherwise  you  would  not  have 
dared  to  transgress  my  taboo,  nor  would  this  young  man 
— your  Shadow,  I  suppose — have  permitted  you  to  do  so. 
But  which  sort  of  god,  pray  ?     Korong — or  Tula  ?" 

"  They  call  me  Korong,"  Felix  answered,  all  tremulous, 
feeling  himself  now  on  the  very  verge  of  solving  this  pro- 
found mystery. 

"And  mademoiselle  as  well?"  the  Frenchman  ex- 
claimed, in  a  tone  of  dismay. 

"And  mademoiselle  as  well,"  Felix  replied.  "At  least, 
so  I  make  out.  We  are  both  Korong.  I  have  many  times 
heard  the  natives  call  us  so." 

His  new  acquaintance  seized  his  hand  with  every  ap- 
pearance of  genuine  alarm  and  regret.  "  My  poor  friend," 
he  exclaimed,  with  a  horrified  face,  "this  is  terrible, 
terrible  !  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  a  very  hard  man.  What  can 
we  do  to  save  your  life  and  mademoiselle's !  We  are  pow- 
erless !  Powerless  !  I  have  only  that  much  to  say.  I 
condole  with  you  !     I  commiserate  you  ! " 

"  Why,  what  does  Korong  mean  ? "  Felix  asked,  with 
blanched  lips.     "Is  it  then  something  so  very  terrible ? " 

"Terrible!  Ah,  terrible  !"  the  Frenchman  answered, 
holding  up  his  hands  in  horror  and  alarm.      "  I  hardly 


*i  ni 

ii'' 

1' ; 


'•r 


io8 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


know  how  we  can  avert  your  fate.  Step  within  my  poor 
hut,  or  under  the  shade  of  my  Tree  of  Liberty  here,  and 
I  will  tell  you  all  the  little  I  know  about  it.'* 


CHAPTER  XV. 


f"  < 


I  ,j  ( ; 


THE   SECRET   OF   KORONG. 

'  "  You  have  lived  here  long  ? "  Felix  asked,  with  tremu- 
lous interest,  as  he  took  a  seat  on  the  bench  under  the  big 
tr'ee,  toward  which  his  new  host  politely  motioned  him. 
"You  know  tlie  people  well,  and  all  their  superstitions?" 

*^  He'laSf  yes,  monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  with 
a  sigh  of  regret.  "Eighteen  years  have  I  spent  alto- 
gether in  this  beast  of  a  Pacific ;  nine  as  a  convict  in  New 
Caledonia,  and  nine  more  as  a  god  here  ;  and,  believe  me, 
I  hardly  know  which  is  the  harder  post.  Yours  is  the  first 
white  face  I  have  ever  seen  since  my  arrival  in  this  cursed 
island." 

"And  how  did  you  come  here?"  Felix  asked,  half 
breathless,  for  the  very  magnitude  of  the  stake  at  issue — 
no  less  a  stake  than  Muriel's  life — made  him  hesitate  to 
put  point-blank  the  question  he  had  most  at  heart  for  the 
moment. 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  trying  to  cover 
his  rags  with  his  native  cape,  "  that  explains  itself  easily. 
I  was  a  medical  student  in  Paris  in  the  days  of  the  Com- 
mune. Ah !  that  beloved  Paris — how  far  away  it  seems 
now  from  Boupari !  Like  all  other  students  I  was  ad- 
Vranced — Republican,  Socialist — what  you  will — a  politi- 
cal enthusiast.  When  the  events  took  place — the  events 
of  '70 — I  espoused  with  all  my  heart  the  cause  of  the  peo- 
ple. You  know  the  rest.  The  bourgeoisie  conquered.  I 
was  taken  red-handed,  as  the  Versaillais  said — my  pistol  in 
my  grasp — an  open  revolutionist.  They  tried  me  by  court- 
martial— br'r'r— no  delay— guilty,  M.  le  President— hard 


TIIE   GREAT   I'AliOO. 


109 


I 

in 


labor  to  pcipcLuity.  They  scut  mc  with  that  brave  Louise 
Michel  aud  so  uiauy  otlicr  good  couiradcs  of  the  cause  to 
New  Caledouia.  Tlicre,  uinc  years  of  convict  life  was 
more  than  enough  for  nie.  One  day  I  found  a  canoe  on 
the  shore — a  little  Kanaka  canoe — you  know  the  type — a 
mere  shapeless  dug-out.  Hastily  I  loaded  it  with  food — 
yam,  taro,  bread-fruit — I  pushed  it  off  into  the  sea — I  em- 
barked alone — I  intrusted  myself  and  all  my  fortunes  to 
the  Bon  Dieu  and  the  wide  Pacific.  The  Hon  Dieu  did 
not  wholly  justify  my  confidence.  It  is  a  way  he  has — 
that  inscrutable  one.  Six  weeks  I  lloated  hither  and 
thither  before  varying  winds.  At  last  one  evening  1 
reached  this  island.  I  lloated  ashore.  And,  cnjin^  mc 
voila  /  " 

"  Then  you  were  a  political  prisoner  only  ?  "  Felix  said, 
politely. 

M.  Jules  Peyron  drew  himself  up  with  much  dignity  in 
his  tattered  costume.  "  Do  I  look  like  a  card-sharper, 
monsieur?"  he  asked  simply,  with  offended  honor. 

Felix  hastened  to  reassure  him  of  his  perfect  confi- 
dence. "On  the  contrary,  monsieur,"  he  said,  "the  mo- 
ment I  heard  you  were  a  convict  from  New  Caledonia,  I 
felt  certain  in  my  heart  you  could  be  nothing  less  than 
one  of  those  unfortunate  and  ill-treated  Communards." 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  said,  seizing  his  hand  a 
second  time,  "  I  perceive  that  I  have  to  do  with  a  man  of 
honor  and  a  man  of  feeling.  Well,  I  landed  on  this  isl- 
and, and  they  made  me  a  god.  From  that  day  to  this  I 
have  been  anxious  only  to  shuffle  off  my  unwelcome  divin- 
ity, and  return  as  a  mere  man  to  the  shores  of  Europe. 
Better  be  a  valet  in  Paris,  say  I,  than  a  deity  of  the  best 
in  Polynesia.  It  is  a  monotonous  existence  here — no  so- 
ciety, no  life — and  the  cuisine. — bah,  execrable  !  But  till 
the  other  day,  when  your  steamer  passed,  I  have  scarcely 
even  sighted  a  European  ship.  A  boat  came  here  once, 
worse  luck,  to  put  off  two  girls  (who  didn't  belong  to 
Boupari),  returned  Indentured  laborers  from  Queensland ; 


IT" 


I 


I! 


iSw 


I' 

t 

I 


m 

ii 


i^} 


J!    i 


no 


yV/li   CREAT  TAIiOO, 


but,  unhappily,  it  was  during  my  taboo — the  Month  of 
Birds,  as  my  jailers  call  it — and  though  I  tried  to  go  down 
to  it  or  to  make  signals  of  distress,  the  natives  stood  round 
my  hut  with  their  spears  in  line,  and  prevented  me  by 
main  force  from  signalling  to  them  or  communicating 
with  them.  Even  the  other  day,  I  never  heard  of  your  ar- 
rival till  a  fortnight  had  elapsed,  for  I  had  been  sick  with 
fever,  the  fever  of  the  country,  and  as  soon  as  my  Shadow 
told  me  of  your  advent  it  was  my  taboo  again,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  defer  for  myself  the  honor  of  calling  upon  my 
new  acquaintances.  I  am  a  god,  of  course,  and  can  do 
what  I  like  ;  but  while  my  taboo  is  on,  ma  foi,  monsieur, 
I  can  hardly  call  my  life  my  own,  I  assure  you." 

"But  your  taboo  is  up  to-day,"  Felix  said,  "so  my 
Shadow  tells  me." 

"  Your  Shadow  is  a  well-informed  young  man,"  M. 
Peyron  answered,  with  easy  French  sprightliness.  As  for 
my  donkey  of  a  valet,  he  never  by  any  chance  knows  or 
tells  me  anything.  I  had  just  sent  him  out — the  pig — to 
learn,  if  possible,  your  nationality  and  t  ;ime,  and  what 
hours  you  preferred,  as  I  proposed  later  in  the  day  to  pay 
my  respects  to  mademoiselle,  your  friend,  if  she  would 
deign  to  receive  me." 

"Miss  Ellis  would  be  charmed,  I'm  sure,"  Felix  replied, 
smiling  in  spite  of  himself  at  so  much  Parisian  courtliness 
under  so  ragged  an  exterior.  "  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to 
us  to  find  we  are  not  really  alone  on  this  barbarous  island. 
But  you  were  going  to  explain  to  me,  I  believe,  the  exact 
nature  of  this  peril  in  which  we  both  stand — the  precise 
distinction  between  Korong  and  Tula  ?  " 

"  Alas,  monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  replied,  drawing  cir- 
cles in  the  dust  with  his  stick  with  much  discomposure, 
"  I  can  only  tell  you  I  have  been  trying  to  make  out  the 
secret  of  this  distinction  myself  ever  since  the  first  day  I 
came  to  the  island  ;  but  so  reticent  are  all  the  natives 
about  it,  and  so  deep  is  the  taboo  by  which  the  mystery  is 
guarded,  that  even  now  I,  who  am  myself  Tula,  can  tell  you 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


III 


but  very  little  with  certainty  on  the  subject.  All  I  can  say 
for  sure  is  this — that  gods  called  Tula  retain  their  mjiKsliip 
in  permanency  for  a  very  long  time,  altiiough  at  tlie  ciul 
some  violent  fate,  which  I  do  not  clearly  understand,  is 
destined  to  befall  them.  That  is  my  condition  as  King  of 
the  Birds — for  no  doubt  they  have  told  you  tliat  I,  Jules 
Peyron — Republican,  Socialist,  Communist — have  been 
elevated  against  my  will  to  the  honors  of  royalty.  That  is 
my  condition,  and  it  matters  but  little  to  me,  for  I  know 
not  when  the  end  may  come  ;  and  we  can  but  die  once  ; 
how  or  where,  what  matters  ?  Meanwhile,  I  have  my  dis- 
tractions, my  little  agrc^mc/tis — my  gardens,  my  nuisic,  my 
birds,  my  native  friends,  my  cocjuetteries,  my  aviary.  As 
King  of  the  Birds,  I  keep  a  small  collection  of  my  subjects 
in  the  living  form,  not  unworthy  of  a  scientific  eye.  Mon- 
sieur is  no  ornithologist  ?  Ah,  no,  I  thought  not.  Well, 
for  me,  it  matters  little  ;  my  time  is  long.  But  for  you 
and  Mademoiselle,  who  are  both  Korong — "  He  paused 
significantly. 

"What  happens,  then,  to  those  who  are  Korong  ?"  Felix 
asked,  with  a  lump  in  his  throat — not  for  himself,  but  for 
Muriel. 

The  Frenchman  looked  at  him  with  a  doubtful  look. 
"Monsieur,"  he  said,  after  a  pause,  "  I  hardly  know  how 
to  break  the  truth  to  you  properly.  You  are  new  to  the 
island,  and  do  not  yet  understand  these  savages.  It  is  so 
terrible  a  fate.  So  deadly.  So  certain.  Compose  your 
mind  to  hear  the  worst.  And  remember  that  the  worst  is 
very  terrible." 

Felix's  blood  froze  within  him  ;  but  he  answered  bravely 
all  the  same,  "  I  think  I  have  guessed  it  myself  already. 
The  Korong  are  offered  as  human  sacrifices  to  Tu-Kila- 
Kila." 

"  That  is  nearly  so,"  his  new  friend  replied,  with  a  solemn 
nod  of  his  head.  "  Every  Korong  is  bound  to  die  when  his 
time  comes.  Your  time  will  depend  on  the  particular  date 
when  you  were  admitted  to  Heaven." 


m 


I  ■  If 


112 


THE   CA'KAT  TABOO. 


r  !§  i 


Felix  reflected  a  inomcnt.  "  It  was  on  the  26th  of  last 
muiuh,"  he  answered,  shortly. 

"Very  well,"  M.  Peyron  replied,  after  a  brief  calcula- 
tion. "You  have  just  six  months  in  all  to  live  from  that 
date.  They  will  offer  you  up  by  Tu-Kila-Kila's  hut  the 
day  the  sun  reaches  the  summer  solstice." 

"  But  why  did  they  make  us  gods  then  ?"  Felix  inter- 
posed, with  tremulous  lips.  "  Why  treat  us  with  such 
honors  meanwhile,  if  they  mean  in  the  end  to  kill  us?" 

He  received  his  sentence  of  death  with  greater  calmness 
than  the  Frenchman  had  expected.  "  jNlonsieur,"  the  older 
arrival  answered,  with  a  reflective  air,  "  there  comes  in  the 
mystery.  If  we  could  solve  that,  wc  could  find  out  also 
the  way  of  escape  for  you.  For  there  is  a  way  of  escape 
for  every  Korong  :  I  know  it  well ;  I  gather  it  from  all  the 
natives  say  ;  it  is  a  part  of  their  mysteries  ;  but  what  it 
may  be,  I  have  hitherto,  in  spite  of  all  my  efforts,  failed  to 
discover.  All  I  do  know  is  this  :  Tu-Kila-Kila  hates  and 
dreads  in  his  heart  every  Korong  that  is  elevated  to 
Heaven,  and  would  do  anything,  if  he  dared,  to  get  rid  of 
him  quietly.  But  he  doesn't  dare,  because  he  is  bound 
hand  and  foot  himself,  too,  by  taboos  innumerable.  Taboo 
is  the  real  god  and  king  of  Boupari.  All  the  island  alike 
bows  down  to  it  and  worships  it." 

"  Have  you  ever  known  Korongs  killed  ?"  Felix  asked 
once  more,  trembling. 

"Yes,  monsieur.  Many  of  them,  alas  !  And  this  is  what 
happens.  When  the  Korong's  time  is  come,  as  these  crea- 
tures say,  either  on  the  summer  or  winter  solstice,  he  is 
bound  with  native  ropes,  and  carried  up  so  pinioned  to 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple.  In  the  time  before  this  man  was 
Tu-Kila-Kila,  I  remember " 

"  Stop,"  Felix  cried.  **  I  don't  understand.  Has  there 
then  been  more  than  one  Tu-Kila-Kila  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  the  Frenchman  answered.  "  Certainly, 
many.  And  there  the  mystery  comes  in  again.  We  have 
always  among  us  one  Tu-Kila-Kila  or  another.     He  is  a 


:> 


THE   CA'/l.l/'  TAIIOO. 


113 


sort  of  pope,  or  grand  lama,  voycz-vous  ?  No  sooner  is  the 
last  god  dead  than  another  god  succeeds  him  and  takes  liis 
name,  or  rather  his  title.  Tliis  young  man  who  now  holds 
tlie  place  was  known  originally  as  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami. 
liut  what  is  more  curious  still,  the  islanders  always  treat 
the  new  god  as  if  he  were  precisely  the  self-same  person 
as  the  old  one.  So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  understaml 
their  theology,  they  believe  in  a  sort  of  transmigration  of 
souls.  The  soul  of  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  is  just  dead  passes 
into  and  animates  the  body  of  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  suc- 
ceeds to  the  office.  Thus  they  speak  as  though  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  were  a  continuous  existence  ;  iiud  the  god  of  the 
moment,  himself,  will  even  often  refer  to  events  which 
occurred  to  him,  as  he  says,  a  hundred  years  ago  or  more, 
but  which  he  really  knows,  of  course,  only  by  the  persist^ 
cnt  tradition  of  the  islanders.  They  are  a  very  curious 
people,  these  Bouparese.  But  what  would  you  have  ? 
Among  savages,  one  expects  things  to  be  as  among  sav^ 


ages. 


•> 


Felix  drew  a  quiet  sigh.  It  was  certain  that  on  the  island 
of  Boupari  that  expectation,  at  least,  was  never  doomed  to 
disappointment.  "And  when  a  Korong  is  taken  to  Tu-» 
Kila-Kila's  temple,"  he  asked,  continuing  the  subject  of 
most  immediate  interest,  "what  happens  next  to  him  ?" 

"Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  "I  hardly  know 
whether  I  do  right  or  not  to  say  the  truth  to  you.  Each 
Korong  is  a  god  for  one  season  only  ;  when  the  year 
renews  itself,  as  the  savages  believe,  by  a  change  of  season, 
then  a  new  Korong  must  be  chosen  by  Heaven  to  fill  the 
place  of  the  old  ones  who  are  to  be  sacrificed.  This  they 
do  in  order  that  the  seasons  may  be  ever  fresh  and  vigor- 
ous. Especially  is  that  the  case  with  the  two  meteorolo- 
gical gods,  so  to  speak,  the  King  of  the  Rain  and  the  Queen 
of  the  Clouds.  Those,  I  understand,  are  the  posts  in  their 
pantheon  which  you  and  the  lady  who  accompanies  you 
occupy." 

**  You  are  right,"  Felix  answered,  with  profoundly  pain*. 
8 


114 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


1    I 


,f' 


fill  interest.     "And  what,  then,  becomes  of  the  king  and 
queen  who  arc  sacrificed  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  M.  Peyron  answered,  dropping  his 
voice  still  lower  into  a  sympathetic  key.  "  But  steel  your 
mind  for  the  worst  beforehand.  It  is  sufficiently  terrible. 
On  the  day  of  your  arrival,  this,  I  learn  from  my  Shadow, 
is  just  what  happened.  That  night,  Tu-Kila-Kila  made  his 
great  feast,  and  offered  up  the  two  chief  human  sacrifices 
of  the  year,  the  free-will  offering  and  the  scapegoat  of 
trespass.  They  keep  then  a  festival,  which  answers  to  our 
own  New-Yeai"s  day  in  Europe.  Next  morning,  in 
accordance  with  custom,  the  King  of  the  Rain  and  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  were  to  be  publicly  slain,  in  order 
that  a  new  and  more  vigorous  king  and  queen  should  be 
chosen  in  their  place,  who  might  make  the  crops  grow 
better  and  the  sky  more  clement.  In  the  midst  of  this 
horrid  ceremony,  you  and  mademoiselle,  by  pure  chance, 
arrived.  You  were  immediately  selected  by  Tu-Kila-Kila, 
for  some  reason  of  his  own,  which  I  do  not  sufficiently  un- 
derstand, but  which  is,  nev  ertheless,  obvious  to  all  the 
initiated,  as  the  next  representatives  of  the  rain-giving  gods. 
You  were  presented  to  Heaven  on  their  little  platform 
raised  about  the  ground,  and  Heaven  accepted  you.  Then 
you  were  envisaged  with  the  attributes  of  divinity  ;  the 
care  of  the  rain  and  the  clouds  was  made  over  to  you  ;  and 
immediately  after,  as  soon  as  you  were  gone,  the  old  king 
and  queen  were  laid  on  an  altar  near  Tu-Kila-Kila's  home, 
and  slain  with  tomahawks.  Their  flesh  was  next  hacked 
from  their  bodies  with  knives,  cooked,  and  eaten  ;  their 
bones  were  thrown  into  the  sea,  the  mother  of  all  waters, 
as  the  natives  call  it.  And  that  is  the  fate,  I  fear  the 
inevitable  fate,  that  will  befall  you  and  mademoiselle  at 
these  wretches'  hands  about  the  commencement  of  a  fresh 
season." 

Felix  knew  the  worst  now,  and  bent  his  head  in  silence. 
His  worst  fears  were  confirmed  ;  but,  after  all,  even  this 
knowledge  was  better  than  so  much  uncertainty. 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


115 


And  now  thai,  he  knew  when  **  his  time  was  up,"  us  the 
natives  phrased  it,  he  would  know  when  to  redeem  his 
promise  to  Muriel. 


CHAPTER  XVi. 


ur 


:ir 


le 


IS 


A   VERY    FAINT    CLUE. 

"  But  you  hinted  at  some  hope,  some  chance  of  escape," 
Felix  cried  at  last,  looking  up  from  the  ground  and  master- 
ing his  emotion.  "What  now  is  that  hope?  Conceal 
nothing  from  me." 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  shrugging  his 
shoulders  with  an  expression  of  utter  impotence,  "  I  have 
n,s  good  reasons  for  wisliing  to  find  out  all  that  as  even  you 
can  have.  Your  secret  is  my  secret  ;  but  with  all  my  pains 
and  astuteness  I  have  been  unable  to  discover  it.  The 
nativ^es  are  reticent,  very  reticent  indeed,  about  all  these 
matters.  They  fear  taboo ;  and  they  fear  Tu-Kila-Kila. 
The  women,  to  be  sure,  in  a  moment  of  expansion,  might 
possibly  tell  one  ;  but,  then,  the  women,  unfortunately,  are 
not  admitted  to  the  mysteries.  They  know  no  more  of  all 
these  things  than  we  do.  The  most  I  have  been  able  to 
gather  for  certain  is  this — that  on  the  discovery  of  the 
secret  depend  Tu-Kila-Kila's  life  and  power.  Every  Bou- 
pari  man  knows  this  Great  Taboo;  it  is  communicated  to 
him  in  the  assembly  of  adults  when  he  gets  tattooed  and 
reaches  manhood.  But  no  Boupari  man  ever  communi- 
cates it  to  strangers  ;  and  for  that  reason,  perhaps,  as  I 
believe,  Tu-Kila-Kila  often  chooses  for  Korong,  as  far  as 
possible,  those  persons  who  are  cast  by  chance  upon  the 
island.  It  has  always  been  the  custom,  so  far  as  I  can 
make  out,  to  treat  castaways  or  prisoners  taken  in  war  as 
gods,  and  then  at  the  end  of  their  term  to  kill  them  ruth- 
lessly. This  plan  is  popular  with  the  people  at  large,  be- 
cause it  saves  themselves  from  the  dangerous  honors  of 


\v  ■' 


\ 


ii6 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


m 


m 


i  fill 


deification  ;  but  it  also  serves  Tu-Kila-Kila's  purpose,  be- 
cause it  usually  elevates  to  Heaven  those  innocent  persons 
who  are  unacquainted  with  that  fatal  secrel  which  is,  as 
the  natives  say,  Tu-Kila-Kila's  death — his  word  of  dismis- 
sal." 

"  Then  if  only  we  could  find  out  this  secret — "  Felix 
cried. 

His  new  friend  interrupted  him.  "What  hope  is  there 
of  your  finding  it  out,  monsieur,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you,  wiio 
have  only  a  few  months  to  live — when  I,  who  have  spent 
njne  long  years  of  exile  on  the  island,  and  seen  two  Tu- 
Kila-Kilas  rise  and  fall,  have  been  unnblc,  with  my  utmost 
pains,  to  discover  it  ?  Tcucz ;  you  iiavc  no  idea  yet  of  the 
superstitions  of  these  people,  or  the  difficulties  that  lie  in 
the  way  of  fathoming  tliem.  Come  tliis  way  to  my  aviary  ; 
I  will  show  you  something  that  will  help  you  to  realize  the 
complexities  of  the  situation." 

He  rose  and  led  the  way  to  another  cleared  space  at  the 
back  of  the  hut,  where  several  birds  of  gaudy  plumage 
were  fastened  to  perches  on  sticks  by  leathery  lashes 
of  dried  shark's  skin,  tied  just  above  their  talons.  "I  am 
the  King  of  the  Birds,  monsieur,  you  must  remember,"  the 
Frenchman  said,  fondling  one  of  his  screaming  proteges. 
"■  These  are  a  few  of  my  subjects.  But  I  do  not  keep  them 
for  mere  curiosity.  Each  of  them  is  the  Soul  of  the  tribe 
to  wiiich  it  belongs.  This,  for  exr*  aple — my  Cluseret — is 
tlie  Soul  of  all  the  gray  parrots  ;  that  that  you  see  yonder — 
Badinguet,  I  call  him — is  the  Soul  of  the  hawks  ;  this,  my 
Mimi,  is  the  Soul  of  the  little  yellow-crested  kingfisher. 
My  task  as  King  of  the  Birds  is  to  keep  a  representative  of 
each  of  these  always  on  hand ;  in  wliich  endeavor  I 
am  faithfully  aided  by  the  wliole  population  of  the  island, 
who  bring  me  eggs  and  nests  and  young  birds  in  abun- 
dance. If  the  Soul  of  the  little  yellow  kingfisher  now  were 
to  die,  without  a  successor  being  found  ready  at  once  to 
receive  and  embody  it,  then  the  whole  race  of  little  yellow 
kingfishers  would  vanish  altogether  ;   and  if  I  myself,  the 


TIIK   GREA^'  TABOO. 


117 


the 


r 


IS 

r — 
my 
icr. 

e  of 
I 
nd, 
iin- 
ere 

K  to 
low 
the 


King  of  the  Birds,  who  am,  as  it  were,  the  Soul  and  life  of 
all  of  tiicm,  were  to  die  without  a  successor  being  at  liuud 
to  receive  my  spirit,  then  all  the  race  of  birds,  with  one 
accord,  would  become  extinct  forthwith  and  forever." 

He  moved  among  his  pets  easily,  like  a  king  among  his 
subjects.  Most  of  them  seemed  to  know  him  and  love  his 
presence.  Presently,  he  came  to  one  very  old  parrot, 
quite  different  from  any  Felix  had  ever  seen  on  any  trees 
in  the  island  ;  it  was  a  parrot  with  a  black  crest  and  a  red 
mark  on  its  throat,  half  blind  with  age,  and  tottering  on 
its  pedestal.  This  solemn  old  bird  sat  apart  from  all  the 
others,  nodding  its  head  oracularly  in  the  sunlight,  and 
blinking  now  and  again  with  its  white  eyelids  in  a  curious 
senile  fashion. 

The  Frenchman  turned  to  Felix  with  an  air  of  profound 
mystery.  "This  bird,"  he  said,  solemnly  stroking  its  head 
with  his  hand,  while  the  parrot  turned  round  to  him  and  bit 
at  his  finger  with  half-doddering  affection — *'  this  bird  is 
the  oldest  of  all  my  birds — is  it  not  so,  Methuselah  ? — 
and  illustrates  well  in  one  of  its  aspects  the  superstition 
of  these  people.  Yes,  my  friend,  you  are  the  last  of  a  kind 
now  otherwise  extinct,  are  you  not,  man  vieux?  No,  no, 
there — gently  !  Once  upon  a  time,  the  natives  tell  me, 
dozens  of  these  parrots  existed  in  the  island  ;  they  flocked 
among  the  trees,  and  were  held  very  sacred  ;  but  they  were 
hard  to  catch  and  difficult  to  keep,  and  the  Kings  of  the 
Birds,  my  predecessors,  failed  to  secure  an  heir  and  coad- 
jutor to  this  one.  So  as  the  Soul  of  the  species,  which  you 
see  here  before  you,  grew  old  and  feeble,  the  whole  (jf  the 
race  to  which  it  belonged  grew  old  and  feeble  with  it. 
One  by  one  they  withered  away  and  died,  till  at  last  this 
solitary  specimen  alone  remained  to  vouch  for  the  former 
existence  of  the  race  in  the  island.  Now,  the  islanders 
say,  nothing  but  the  Soul  itself  is  left ;  and  when  the  Soul 
dies,  the  red-throated  parrots  will  be  gone  forever.  One 
of  my  predecessors  paid  with  his  life  in  awful  tortures  for 
his  remissness  in  not  providing  for  the  succession  to  the 


,  1 


l;':'^^ 


i 


ii8 


TIIR   GREAT  TABOO. 


soiilsliip.  I  tell  you  these  things  in  order  that  you  may 
sec  whether  tlicy  cast  any  light  for  you  upon  your  own 
position  ;  and  also  because  the  oldest  and  wisest  natives 
say  tliat  this  parrot  alone,  among  beasts  or  birds  or  unini- 
tiated things,  knows  the  secret  on  which  depends  the  life 
of  the  Tu-Kila  Kila  for  the  time  being." 

"Can  the  parrot  speak?"  Felix  asked,  with  profound 
emotion. 

"Monsieur,  he  can  speak,  and  he  speaks  frequently. 
But  not  one  word  of  all  he  says  is  comprehensible  eitlier 
to  me  or  to  any  other  living  being.  His  tongue  is  that  of 
a  forjTotten  nation.  The  islanders  understand  him  no 
rnor<i  than  I  do.  He  has  a  very  long  sermon  or  poem, 
which  he  knows  by  heart,  in  some  unknown  language,  and 
he  repeats  it  often  at  full  length  from  time  to  time,  espec- 
ially when  he  has  eaten  well  and  feels  full  and  happy.  The 
oldest  natives  tell  a  romantic  legend  about  this  strange 
recitation  of  the  good  Methuselah — I  call  him  Methuselah 
because  of  his  great  age — but  I  do  not  really  know  whether 
their  tale  is  true  or  purely  fanciful.  You  never  can  trust 
these  Polynesian  traditions." 

"What  is  the  legend  ?  "  Felix  asked,  with  intense  inter- 
est. "  In  an  island  where  we  find  ourselves  so  girt  round 
by  mystery  within  mystery,  and  taboo  within  taboo,  as  this, 
every  key  is  worth  trying.  It  is  well  for  us  at  least  to 
learn  everything  we  can  about  the  ideas  of  the  natives. 
Wlio  knows  what  clue  may  supply  us  at  last  with  tlie 
missing  link,  which  will  enable  us  to  break  through  this 
intolerable  servitude  ?  " 

"Well,  the  story  they  tell  us  is  this,"  the  Frenchman 
replied,  "  though  I  have  gathered  it  only  a  hint  at  a  time, 
from  very  old  men,  who  declared  at  the  same  moment 
that  some  religious  fear — of  which  they  have  many — pre- 
vented them  from  telling  me  any  further  about  it.  It 
seems  that  a  long  time  ago — how  many  years  ago  nobody 
knows,  only  that  it  was  in  tiie  time  of  the  thirty-ninth  Tu- 
Kila  Kila,  before  the  reigr    ."  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami— a 


TJIE    CRKAT   IWliOO. 


119 


:er- 
nd 

[lis, 
to 

'CS. 

:he 
liis 


strange  Korong  was  cast  up  upon  this  island  by  the  waves 
of  the  sea,  much  as  you  and  1  have  been  in  the  present  gen- 
eration. By  accident,  says  the  story,  or  else,  as  others  aver, 
through  the  indiscretion  of  a  native  woman  who  fell  in  luve 
with  him,  and  who  worried  the  taboo  out  of  lier  husband, 
the  stranger  became  acquainted  with  the  secret  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila.  As  tlie  natives  themselves  put  it,  he  learned  the 
Death  of  the  High  God,  and  where  in  the  world  his  Soul 
was  hidden.  Thereupon,  in  some  mysterious  way  or 
other,  he  became  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  and  ruled  as  Iligji 
God  for  ten  years  or  more  here  on  this  island.  Now,  u{) 
to  that  time,  the  legend  goes  on,  none  but  the  men  of  the 
island  knew  the  secret ;  they  learned  it  as  soon  as  they 
were  initiated  in  the  great  mysteries,  which  occur  before 
a  boy  is  given  a  spear  and  admitted  to  the  rank  of  com- 
plete manhood.  But  sometimes  a  woman  was  told  the 
secret  wrongfully  by  her  husband  or  her  lover  ;  and  one 
such  woman,  apparently,  told  the  strange  Korong,  and  so 
enabled  him  to  become  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

"But  where  does  the  parrot  come  in?"  Felix  asked, 
with  still  profounder  excitement  than  ever.  Something 
within  him  seemed  to  tell  him  instinctively  he  was  now 
within  touch  of  the  special  key  that  must  sooner  or  later 
unlock  the  mystery, 

"  Well,"  the  Frenchman  went  on,  still  stroking  the  par- 
rot affectionately  with  his  hand,  and  smoothing  down  tlie 
feathers  on  its  ruffled  back,  "the  strange  Tu-Kila-Kila, 
who  thus  ruled  in  the  island,  though  he  learned  to  speak 
Polynesian  well,  had  a  language  of  his  own,  a  language 
of  the  birds,  which  no  man  on  earth  could  ever  talk  with 
him.  So,  to  beguile  his  time  and  to  have  someone  who 
could  converse  with  him  in  his  native  dialect,  he  taught 
this  parrot  to  speak  his  own  tongue,  and  spent  most  of  his 
days  in  talking  with  it  and  fondling  it.  At  last,  after  he 
had  instructed  it  by  slow  degrees  how  to  repeat  this  long 
sermon  or  poem — which  I  have  often  heard  it  recite  in  a 
sing-song  voice  from  beginning  to  end — his  time  came,  as 


m 


'If 


!   < 


it  !' 


!*']' 


1  ,  < 


I20 


rilE   GREAT  TAnOO, 


they  say,  and  he  had  to  give  way  to  another  Tu-Kila-Kihi ; 
for  the  Bouparese  have  a  proverb  like  our  own  about  llie 
king,  '  Tlie  High  God  is  dead;  may  the  liigli  God  live 
forever  ! '  But  before  he  gave  up  his  Soul  to  his  succes- 
sor, and  was  eaten  or  buried,  whichever  is  the  custom, 
he  handed  over  his  pet  to  the  King  of  the  Birds,  strictly 
charging  all  future  bearers  of  that  divine  office  to  care  for 
the  parrot  as  they  would  care  for  a  son  or  a  daughter. 
And  so  the  natives  make  much  of  the  parrot  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  saying  he  is  greater  than  any,  save  a  Korong  or 
a  god,  for  he  is  the  Soul  of  a  dead  race,  summing  it  up  in 
himself,  and  he  knows  the  secret  of  the  Death  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila." 

"  But  you  can't  tell  me  what  language  he  speaks  ? " 
Felix  asked  with  a  despairing  gesture.  It  was  terrible 
to  stand  thus  within  measurable  distance  of  the  secret 
which  might,  perhaps,  save  Muriel's  life,  and  yet  be  per- 
petually balked  by  wheel  within  wheel  of  more  than 
Egyptian  mystery. 

"  Who  can  say  ? "  the  Frenchman  answered,  shrugging 
his  shoulders  helplessly.  "  It  isn't  Polynesian  ;  that  I 
know  well,  for  I  speak  Bouparese  now  like  a  native  of 
Boupari ;  and  it  isn't  the  only  other  language  spoken  at 
the  present  day  in  the  South  Seas — the  Melanesian  of 
New  Caledonia — for  that  I  learned  well  from  the  Kanakas 
while  I  was  serving  my  time  as  a  convict  among  them. 
All  we  can  say  for  certain  is  that  it  may,  perhaps,  be 
some  very  ancient  tongue.  For  parrots,  we  know,  are  im- 
mensely long-lived.  Some  of  them,  it  is  said,  exceed 
their  century.     Is  it  not  so,  eh,  my  friend  Methuselah  ?  " 


-Mik^M 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


121 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


FACING    THE    WORST. 


Muriel,  meanwhile,  sat  alone  in  her  hut,  frightened  at 
Felix's  unexpected  disappearance  so  early  in  the  morning, 
and  anxiously  awaiting  her  lover's  rcUirn,  for  she  made 
no  pretences  now  to  herself  that  she  did  not  really  love 
Felix.  Though  the  two  might  never  return  to  Europe  lo 
be  husband  and  wife,  she  did  not  doubt  that  before  the 
eye  of  Heaven  they  were  already  betrothed  to  one  an- 
other as  truly  as  though  they  had  -plighted  their  troth  in 
solemn  fashion.  Felix  had  risked  his  life  for  her,  and  had 
brought  all  this  misery  upon  himself  in  the  attempt  to 
save  her.  Felix  was  now  all  the  world  that  was  left  her. 
With  Felix,  she  was  happy,  even  on  this  horrible  island  ; 
without  him,  she  was  miserable  and  terrified,  no  matter 
what  happened. 

"  Mali,"  she  cried  to  her  faithful  attendant,  as  soon  as 
she  found  Felix  was  missing  from  his  tent,  **  what's  be- 
come of  Mr.  Thurstan  ?  Where  can  he  be  gone,  I  won- 
der, this  morning  ? " 

"  You  no  fear,  Missy  Queenie,"  Mali  answered,  with  the 
childish  confidence  of  the  native  Polynesian.  '*  Mistah 
Thurstan,  him  gone  to  see  man-a-oui-oui,  the  King  of  the 
Birds.  Month  of  Birds  finish  last  night  ;  man-a-oui-oui 
no  taboo  any  longer.  King  of  the  Birds  keep  very  old 
parrot,  Boupari  folk  tell  me  ;  and  old  parrot  very  wise, 
know  how  to  make  Tu-Kila-Kila.  Mistah  Thurstan,  him 
gone  to  find  man-a-oui-oui.  Parrot  tell  him  plenty  wise 
thing.  Parrot  wiser  than  Boupari  people  ;  know  very 
good  medicine  ;  wise  like  Queensland  lady  and  gentle- 
man." And  Mali  set  herself  vigorously  to  work  to  wash 
the  wooden  platter  on  which  she  sei;ved  up  her  mistress's 
yam  for  breakfast. 

It  was  curious  to  Muriel  to  see  how  readily  Mali  had 


r 


122 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


slipped  from  savagery  to  civilization  in  Queensland,  and 
how  easily  she  had  slipped  back  again  from  civilization  to 
savagery  in  Boupari.  In  waiting  on  her  mistress  she  was 
just  the  ordinary  trained  native  Australian  servant ;  in 
every  other  respect  she  was  the  simple  unadulterated 
heathen  Polynesian.  She  recognized  in  Muriel  a  white 
lady  of  the  Englisii  sort,  and  treated  her  witliin  the  hut  as 
white  ladies  were  invariably  treated  in  Queensland  ;  but 
she  considered  that  at  Boupari  one  must  do  as  Boupari 
dues,  and  it  never  for  a  moment  occurred  to  her  simple 
mind  to  doubt  the  omnipotence  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  in  his 
island  realm  any  more  than  she  had  doubted  the  omnipo- 
tence of  the  white  man  and  his  local  religion  in  their 
proper  place  (as  she  thought  it)  in  Queensland. 

An  hour  or  two  passed  before  Felix  returned.  At  last 
he  arrived,  very  white  and  pale,  and  Muriel  saw  at  once 
by  the  mere  look  on  his  face  that  he  had  learned  some 
terrible  news  at  the  Frenchman's. 

"  Well,  you  found  him  ? "  she  cried,  taking  his  hand 
in  hers,  but  hardly  daring  to  ask  the  fatal  question  at 
once. 

And  Felix,  sitting  down,  as  pale  as  a  ghost,  answered 
faintly,  "  Yes,  Muriel,  I  found  him  !" 

"  And  he  told  you  everything  ? " 

"  Everything  he  knew,  my  poor  child.  Oh,  Muriel, 
Muriel,  don't  ask  me  what  it  is.  It's  too  terrible  to  tell 
you." 

Muriel  clasped  her  white  hands  together,  held  bloodless 
downward,  and  looked  at  him  fixedly.  **  Mali,  you  can 
go,"  she  said.  And  the  Shadow,  rising  up  with  childish 
confidence,  glided  from  the  hut,  and  left  them,  for  the 
first  time  since  their  arrival  on  the  central  island,  alone 
toQ:ether. 

Muriel  looked  at  him  once  more  with  the  same  deadly 
fixed  look.  "With  you,  Felix,"  she  said,  slowly,  "I  can 
bear  or  dare  anything.  I  feel  as  if  the  bitterness  of  death 
were  past  long  ago.     I  Huow  it  must  come.     I  only  want 


I 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


123 


iriel, 
tell 


Hess 

can 

idisb 

the 

llone 


idly 

can 

catU 

rant 


to  be  quite  sure  when.  .  .  .  And  besides,  you  must 
remember,  I  have  your  promise." 

Felix  clasped  his  own  hands  despondently  in  return, 
and  gazed  across  at  her  from  his  seat  a  few  feet  off  in  un- 
speakable misery. 

"Muriel,"  he  cried,  "I  couldn't.  I  haven't  the  heart. 
I  daren't." 

Muriel  rose  and  laid  her  hand  solemnly  on  his  arm. 
"  You  will !  "  she  answered,  boldly.  "  You  can  !  You 
must  !  I  know  I  can  trust  your  promise  for  that.  This 
moment,  if  you  like.  I  would  not  shrink.  But  you  will 
never  let  me  fall  alive  into  the  hands  of  those  wretches. 
Felix,  from  your  hand  I  could  stand  anything.  I'm  not 
afraid  to  die.     I  love  you  too  dearly." 

Felix  held  her  white  little  wrist  in  his  grasp  and  sobbed 
like  a  child.  Her  very  bravery  and  confidence  seemed  to 
unman  him,  utterly. 

She  looked  at  him  once  more.  "  When  ?  "  she  asked, 
quietly,  but  with  lips  as  pale  as  death. 

"In  about  four  months  from  now,"  Felix  answered, 
endeavoring  to  be  calm. 

"  And  they  will  kill  us  both  ? " 

"  Yes,  both.     I  think  so." 

"Together?" 

"  Together." 

Muriel  drew  a  deep  sigh. 

"Will  you  know  tlie  day  beforehand  ? "  she  asked. 

"  Yes.  The  Frenchman  told  me  it.  He  has  known 
others  killed  in  the  self-same  fashion." 

"Then,  Felix — the  night  before  it  comes,  you  will 
promise  me,  will  you?" 

"Muriel,  Muriel,  I  could  never  dare  to  kill  you." 

She  laid  her  hand  soothingly  on  his.  She  stroked  him 
gently.  "You  are  a  man,"  she  said,  looking  up  into  his 
eyes  with  confidence.  "  I  trust  you.  I  believe  in  you. 
I  know"  you  will  never  let  these  savages  hurt  me.  .  .  . 
Felix,  iu  spite  of  everything,  I've  been  happier  since  w© 


I" 


124 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


n 


came  to  this  island  together  than  ever  I  have  been  in  my 
life  before.  I've  had  my  wisii.  I  didn't  want  to  miss  in 
life  the  one  thing  tliat  life  has  best  worth  giving.  I  haven't 
missed  it  now.  I  know  I  haven't  ;  for  I  love  you,  and  you 
love  me.  After  that,  I  can  die,  and  die  gladly.  If  I  die 
with  yoUy  that's  all  I  ask.  These  seven  or  eight  terrible 
weeks  have  made  me  feel  somehow  unnaturally  calm. 
Wlien  I  came  here  first  I  lived  all  the  time  in  an  jigony  of 
terror.  I've  got  over  the  agony  of  terror  now.  I'm  quite 
resigned  and  happy.  All  I  ask  is  to  bo  saved — by  you — 
frpm  the  cruel  liands  of  these  liateful  cannibals." 

Felix  raised  her  white  hand  just  once  to  his  lips.  It 
was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  ventured  to  kiss  her.  He 
kissed  it  fervently.     She  let  it  dr(;p  as  if  dead  by  her  side. 

"  Now  tell  me  all  that  happened,"  she  said.  "  I'm  strong 
enough  to  bear  it.  I  feel  such  a  woman  now — so  wise  and 
calm.  These  few  weeks  have  made  me  grow  from  a  girl 
into  a  woman  all  at  once.  There's  nothing  I  daren't  hear, 
if  you'll  tell  me  it,  Felix." 

Felix  took  up  her  hand  again  and  held  it  in  his,  as  he 
narrated  the  whole  story  of  his  visit  to  the  Frenchman. 
When  Muriel  had  heard  it,  she  said  once  more,  slowly,  *' I 
don't  think  there's  any  hope  in  all  these  wild  plans  of  play- 
ing off  superstition  against  superstition.  To  my  mind 
there  are  only  two  chances  left  for  us  now.  One  is  to 
concoct  with  tlie  Frenchman  some  means  of  getting  away 
by  canoe  from  the  island — I'd  rather  trust  the  sea  than  the 
tender  mercy  of  these  dreadful  people  ;  the  other  is  to 
keep  a  closer  lookout  than  ever  for  the  merest  chance  of 
a  passing  steamer." 

Felix  drew  a  deep  sigh.  "I'm  afraid  neither's  much 
use,"  he  said.  "  If  we  tried  to  get  away,  dogged  as  we 
are,  day  and  night,  by  our  Shadows,  the  natives  would 
follow  us  with  their  war-canoes  in  battle  array  and  hack 
us  to  pieces  ;  for  Peyron  says  tliat,  regarding  us  as  gods, 
they  think  the  rain  would  vanish  from  their  island  forever 
if  once  they  allowed  us  to  get  away  alive  and  carry  the 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


I2S 


luck  with  us.  And  as  to  the  steamers,  \vc  haven't  seen  a 
trace  of  one  since  we  left  the  Austrahisian.  Probably  it 
was  only  by  the  purest  accident  that  even  she  ever  came 
so  close  in  to  Boupari." 

"  At  any  rate,"  Muriel  cried,  still  clasping  his  liand  tight, 
and  letting  the  tears  now  trickle  slowly  down  her  pale 
white  cheeks,  "we  can  talk  it  all  over  some  day  with  M. 
Peyron." 

*'  We  can  talk  it  over  to-day,"  Felix  answered,  "  if  it 
comes  to  that  ;  for  Peyron  means  to  step  round,  he  says, 
a  little  later  in  the  afternoon,  to  pay  his  respects  to  tlie 
first  white  lady  he  has  ever  seen  since  he  left  New  Cale- 
donia." 


.vi! 


m 


CII/VPTER   XVIII. 


he 


lack 


|o 


ds. 


iver 


TU-KILA-KILA    PLAYS   A    CARD. 

Before  the  Frenchman  could  carry  out  his  plan,  how- 
ever, he  was  himself  the  recipient  of  the  high  honor  of  a 
visit  from  his  superior  god  and  chief,  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

Every  day  and  all  day  long,  save  on  a  few  rare  occasions 
when  special  duties  absolved  him,  the  custom  and  religion 
of  the  islanders  prescribed  that  their  supreme  incarnate 
deity  should  keep  watch  and  ward  without  cessation  over 
the  great  spreading  banyan-tree  that  ovcrsiiadowed  with 
its  dark  boughs  his  temple-palace.  High  god  as  he  was 
held  to  be,  and  all-powerful  within  the  limits  of  his  own 
strict  taboos,  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  yet  as  rigidly  bound  within 
those  iron  laws  of  custom  and  religious  usage  as  the  mean- 
est and  poorest  of  his  subject  worshippers.  From  sunrise 
to  sunset,  and  far  on  into  the  night,  the  Pillar  of  ITcaven 
was  compelled  to  prowl  up  and  down,  with  spear  in  liand 
nnd  tomahfiwk  at  side,  ns  Felix  had  so  often  seen  liim,  be- 
fore tlie  sacred  trunk,  of  which  he  appeared  to  be  in  some 
mysterious  way  the  appointed  guardian.  Ilis  very  power, 
it  seemed,  was  intimately  bound  up  with  the  performance 


126 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


11  ' 


■■■ ' 


r    I 


of  that  ceaseless  aiul  irksome  duty  ;  he  was  a  god  in  wliosc 
hands  liie  lives  of  his  people  were  but  as  dust  in  tlie  bal- 
ance ;  but  he  remained  so  only  on  the  onerous  condition 
of  pacing  to  autl  fnj,  like  a  sentry,  forever  before  the  still 
more  holy  and  venenible  object  he  was  chosen  to  protect 
from  attack  or  injury.  Had  he  failed  in  his  task,  had  he 
slumbered  at  his  post,  all  god  though  he  might  be,  liis 
people  themselves  W(juhl  have  risen  in  a  body  and  torn 
him  limb  from  limb  before  their  ancestral  fetich  as  a  sac- 
rilegious j)retender. 

At  certain  times  and  seasons,  however,  as  for  example 
at  .'111  high  feasts  and  festivals,  Tu-Kila-Kila  had  respite  for 
a  while  from  this  constant  treadmill  of  mechanical  divin- 
ity. Whenever  the  moon  was  at  the  half-quarter,  or  the 
planets  were  in  lucky  conjunctions,  or  a  red  glow  lit  up 
the  sky  by  night,  or  the  sacred  sacrificial  fires  of  human 
flesh  were  lighted,  then  Tu-Kila  Kila  could  lay  aside  his 
tomahawk  and  spear,  and  become  for  a  while  as  the  isl- 
anders, his  fellows,  were.  At  other  times,  too,  when  he 
went  out  in  state  to  visit  the  lesser  deities  of  his  court,  the 
King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water  made  a  solemn  taboo 
before  he  left  his  home,  which  protected  the  sacred  tree 
from  aggression  during  its  guardian's  absence.  Then  Tu- 
Kila  Kila,  shaded  by  his  divine  umbrella,  and  preceded  by 
the  noise  of  the  holy  tom-toms,  could  go  like  a  monarch 
over  all  parts  of  h.is  realm,  giving  such  orders  as  he 
pleased  (within  the  limits  of  custom)  to  his  inferior  officers. 
It  was  in  this  way  tliat  he  now  paid  his  visit  to  ^I.  Jules 
Peyron,  King  of  the  Birds.  And  he  did  so  for  what  to 
him  were  amply  sufficient  reasons. 

It  had  not  escaped  Tu-Kila-Kila's  keen  eye,  as  he  paced 
among  the  skeletons  in  his  yard  that  morning,  that  Felix 
Thurstan,  the  King  of  the  Rain,  had  taken  his  way  openly 
toward  the  Frenchman's  quarters.  He  felt  pretty  sure, 
therefore,  that  Felix  had  by  this  time  learned  another  white 
man  was  living  on  the  island  ;  and  he  thought  it  an  omin- 
ous fact  that  the  new-comer  should  make  his  way  toward 


Trrr.  great  r.moo. 


127 


his  fellow-European's  liut  on  the  very  first  morning  wlu  ii 
tlic  law  of  taboo  rendered  such  a  visit  possible.  The  sav- 
age is  always  by  nature  suspicious;  and  Tu-Kila-Kila  had 
grounds  enough  of  his  own  for  suspicion  in  this  particular 
instance.  The  two  white  men  were  surely  brewing  mis- 
chief together  for  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  the  II- 
luminer  of  the  Glowinu:  Liolit  of  the  Sun  ;  he  must  make 
liaste  and  sec  what  plan  they  were  concocting  against  the 
sacred  tree  and  the  person  of  its  representative,  the  King 
of  Plants  and  of  the  Host  of  Heaven. 

But  it  isn't  so  easy  to  make  haste  when  all  your  move- 
ments arc  impeded  and  hamiiered  by  endless  taboos  and 
a  minutely  annoying  ritual.  I3eff)re  Tu-Kila-Kila  could 
get  himselT  under  way,  sacred  umbrella,  tom-toms,  antl  all, 
it  was  necessary  for  the  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of 
Water  to  make  taboo  on  an  elaborate  scale  with  their  re- 
spective elements  ;  and  so  by  the  time  the  high  god  had 
reached  M.  Jules  Peyron's  garden,  Felix  Thurstan  had  al- 
ready some  time  since  returned  to  Muriel's  hut  and  his 
own  quarters. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  approached  the  King  of  the  Birds,  amid 
loud  clapping  of  hands,  with  considerable  haughtiness. 
To  say  the  truth,  there  was  no  love  lost  between  the  can- 
nibal god  and  his  European  subordinate.  The  savage, 
puffed  up  as  he  was  in  his  own  conceit,  had  nevertheless 
always  an  uncomfortable  sense  tliat,  in  his  heart  of  hearts, 
the  impassive  Frenchman  had  but  a  low  opinion  of  him. 
So  he  invariably  tried  to  make  up  by  the  solemnity  of  his 
manner  and  the  loudness  of  his  asseuions  for  any  trifling 
scepticism  that  might  possibly  exist  in  the  mind  of  his 
follower. 

On  this  particular  occasion,  as  he  reached  the  French- 
man's plot,  Tu-Kila-Kila  stepped  forward  across  the  white 
taboo-line  with  a  suspicious  and  peering  eye.  "The  K  .ig 
of  the  Rain  has  been  here,"  he  said,  in  a  pompous  tone,  as 
t!ie  Frenchman  rose  and  saluted  him  ceremoniously.  "  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  eyes  are  sharp.     They  never  sleep.     The  sun 


;i  i4 


1-i 


'1 


u 


128 


TIIK   GREAT  TABOO. 


ill     i?! 


Mill 


is  liis  sight.  lie  beholds  all  things.  You  cannot  hide 
aught  in  heaven  or  earth  from  tlic  knowledge  of  him  that 
dwells  in  heaven.  I  look  down  upon  land  and  sea,  and 
spy  out  all  that  takei  place  or  is  planned  in  them.  I  am 
very  holy  and  very  cruel.  I  sec  all  earth  and  I  drink  the 
blo(jd  of  all  men.  The  King  of  the  Rain  has  come  this 
morninc:  to  visit  the  Kino:  of  the  Birds.  Where  is  he  now  ? 
What  has  your  divinity  done  with  him  ?  " 

He  spoke  from  under  the  sheltering  cover  of  his  veiled 
umbrella.  The  Frenchman  looked  back  at  him  with  as 
little  love  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  would  hrvc  displayed 
liad  his  face  been  visible.  "  Yes,  you  arc  a  very  great 
god,"  he  answered,  in  the  conventional  tone  of  Polynesian 
adulation,  with  just  a  faint  under-current  of  irony  running 
through  his  accent  as  he  spoke.  "You  say  the  truth. 
You  do,  indeed,  know  all  things.  What  need  forme,  then, 
to  tell  you,  whose  eye  is  the  sun,  that  my  brother,  the 
King  of  the  Rain,  has  been  here  and  gone  again  ?  You 
know  it  yourself.  Your  eye  has  looked  upon  it.  My 
brother  was  indeed  with  me.  He  consulted  me  as  to  the 
showers  I  should  need  from  his  clouds  for  the  birds,  my 
subjects." 

**And  where  is  he  gone  row?"  Tu-Kila-Kila  asked, 
without  attempting  to  conceal  the  displeasure  in  his  tone, 
for  he  more  than  half  suspected  the  Frenchman  of  a  sac- 
rilegious and  monstrous  design  of  chaffing  liiip. 

The  King  of  the  Birds  bowed  low  once  more.  "  Tu-Kil;.- 
Kila's  glance  is  keener  than  my  hawk's,"  he  answered,  with 
the  accustomed  Polynesian  imagery.  *' lie  sees  over  the 
land  with  a  glance,  like  my  parrots,  and  over  the  sea  \v'ith 
sharp  sight,  like  my  albatrosses.  He  knows  where  my 
brother,  the  King  of  the  Rain,  has  gone.  For  me,  who  am 
the  least  amorg  all  the  gods,  I  sit  here  on  my  perch  and 
blink  like  a  cnnv.  I  do  not  knowthese  things.  They  are 
too  high  and  too  deep  for  me.* 

Tu-Kila-Kila  did  not  like  the  turn  the  conversation  was 
taking.     Before  his   own  attendants  buch  hints,  indeed, 


7' HE   GREAT  TABOO. 


I  2a 


were  almost  dangerous.  Once  let  the  savage  begin  to 
doubt,  and  the  Moral  Order  goes  with  a  crash  immediately. 
Besides,  he  must  know  what  these  white  men  had  been 
talking  about.  "  Fire  and  Water,"  he  said  in  a  loud  voice, 
turning  round  to  liis  two  cliief  satellites,  *^  go  far  down  the 
path,  and  beat  the  tom-toms.  Fence  off  with  Hood  and 
flame  the  airy  lieight  where  the  King  of  the  Birds  lives ; 
fence  it  off  from  all  profane  intrusion.  I  wish  to  confer  in 
secret  with  tliis  god,  my  brother.  When  we  gods  talk  to- 
gether, it  is  not  well  that  others  should  hear  our  converse. 
Make  a  great  Taboo.     I,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  myself  have  said  it." 

Fire  and  Water,  bowing  low,  backed  down  the  path, 
beating  tom-toms  as  they  went,  and  left  the  savage  and  the 
Frenchman  alone  together. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  Tu-Kila-Kila  laid  aside  his 
umbrellt  with  a  positive  sigh  of  relief.  Now  his  fellow- 
countrymen  were  well  out  of  the  way,  his  manner  altered 
in  a  trice,  as  if  by  magic.  Barbarian  as  he  was,  he  was 
quite  astute  enough  to  guess  that  Europeans  cared  nothing 
in  their  hearts  for  all  his  mumbo-jumbo.  He  believed  in  it 
himself,  but  they  did  not,  and  their  very  unbelief  made  him 
respect  and  fear  them. 

"  Now  that  we  two  are  alone,"  he  said,  glancing  care- 
lessly around  him,  "we  two  who  are  gods,  and  know  the 
world  well — we  two  who  see  everything  in  heaven  or 
eartli — there  is  no  need  for  concealment — we  may  talk  as 
plainly  as  we  will  with  one  another.  Come,  tell  me  the 
truth  !     The  new  white  man  has  seen  you  ? " 

"  He  has  seen  me,  yes,  certainly,"  the  Frenchman  ad- 
mitted, taking  a  keen  look  deep  into  the  savage's  cunning 
eyes. 

"Does  he  speak  your  language — the  language  of  birds  ?" 
Tu-Kila  Kila  asked  once  more,  with  insinuating  cunning. 
"  I  have  heard  that  the  sailing  gods  are  of  m;  ny  languages. 
Are  you  and  he  of  one  speech  or  two  ?  Aliens,  or  country- 
men?" 

"He  speaks  my  language  as  he  speaks  Polynesian,"  the 


,  ■  ^ 


ii(  I 


:|i 


Hi 


• 


Hi 

1  1 

H  i 

|. 

k      \ 

i: 

i: 


I 


i 


^^!^ 


130 


r///?    GREAT   TABOO. 


Frenchman  replied,  keeping  his  eye  firmly  fixed  on  his 
doubtful  guest,  "  but  it  is  not  his  own.  He  lias  a  tongue 
apart — the  tongue  of  an  island  not  far  from  my  country, 
wliich  we  call  England." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  nearer,  and  dropped  his  voice  to  a 
confidential  whisper.  "  Has  he  seen  the  Soul  of  all  dead 
parrots?"  he  asked,  with  keen  interest  in  his  voice.  "  Tiie 
parrot  that  knows  Tu-Kila-Kila's  secret  ?  That  one  over 
there — the  old,  tlie  very  sacred  one  ? " 

M.  Peyron  gazed  round  his  aviary  carelessly.  "Oh, 
that  one,"  he  answered,  with  a  casual  glance  at  Methu- 
selah, as  though  one  parrot  or  another  were  much  the 
same  to  him.  "Yes,  I  think  he  saw  it.  I  pointed  it  out 
to  him,  in  fact,  as  the  oldest  and  strangest  of  all  my  sub- 
jects." 

Tu-Kila-Kila's  countenance  fell.  "  Did  he  hear  it  speak  ?" 
he  asked,  in  evident  aiarni.  *'  Did  it  tell  him  the  story  of 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  secret?" 

"No,  it  didn't  speak,"  the  Frenchrr.an  answered.  "It 
seldom  does  now.  It  is  very  old.  And  if  it  did,  I  don't 
suppose  the  King  of  the  Rain  would  liave  understood 
one  word  of  it.  Look  here,  great  god,  allay  your  fears. 
You're  a  terrible  coward.  I  expect  the  real  fact  ibout 
the  parrot  is  this  :  it  is  the  last  of  its  own  race  ;  it  speaks 
the  la  iguage  of  some  tribe  of  men  who  once  inhabited 
these  islands,  but  are  now  extinct.  No  human  being  at 
present  alive,  most  probably,  knows  one  word  of  that  for- 
gotten language." 

"You  think  not?"  Tu-Kila-Kila  asked,  a  litfi-  re- 
lieved. 

"  I  am  the  King  of  the  Birds,  and  I  know  the  voices 
of  my  subjects  by  heart ;  I  assure  you  it  is  as  I  say,"  M. 
Peyron  answered,  drawing  himself  up  solemnly. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  looked  askance,  with  something  very  closely 
approaching  a  wink  in  his  left  eye.  "We  two  are  both 
gods,"  he  said,  with  a  tinge  of  irony  in  his  tone.  "We 
know  what  that  means.  .  .  .  /  do  not  feel  so   certain." 


TiTE  CAT.. IT  y.inoo. 


131 


\ 


k 


He  stood  close  by  the  parrot  with  itchhig  fingers.  "It  i , 
very,  very  old,"  he  went  on  to  liiniself,  nuisingly.  "  It 
can't  live  long.  And  then — none  but  Boupari  men  will 
know  the  secret." 

As  he  spjke  he  darted  a  strange  glance  of  hatred  toward 
the  unconscious  bird,  the  innocent  repository,  as  he  firmly 
believed,  of  the  secret  that  doomed  him.  Tlie  Frenciima'- 
had  turned  his  back  for  a  moment  now,  to  fetcli  out  a 
stool.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  casting  a  quick,  suspicious  e}e  to 
the  right  and  left,  took  a  step  nearer.  The  parrot  sat 
mumbling  on  its  perch,  inarticulately,  putting  its  head  on 
one  side,  and  blinking  its  half-blinded  eyes  in  the  bright 
tropical  sunshine.  Tu-Kila-Kila  paused  irresolute  before 
its  face  for  a  second.  If  he  only  dared — one  wring  of  the 
neck — one  pinch  of  his  finger  and  thumb  almost  ! — and  all 
would  be  over.  But  he  dared  not !  he  dared  not !  Your 
savage  is  overawed  by  the  blind  terrors  of  taboo.  Ilis 
predecessor,  some  elder  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  forgotten  cays, 
had  laid  a  great  charm  upon  that  parrot's  life.  Whoever 
hurt  ii;  was  to  die  an  awful  death  of  unspeakable  torment. 
The  King  of  the  Birds  had  special  ciiarge  to  guard  it.  If 
even  the  Cannibal  God  himself  wrought  it  harm,  who  could 
tell  what  judgment  might  fall  upon  him  forthwith,  what 
terrible  vengeance  the  dead  Tu-Kila-Kila  might  wreak 
upon  him  in  his  ghostly  anger  ?  And  that  dead  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  was  his  own  Soul  !  His  own  Soul  might  Hare  up 
within  him  in  some  mystic  way  and  burn  him  to  ashes. 

And  yet — suppose  this  hateful  new-comer,  the  King  of 
tlie  Rain,  whom  he  had  himself  made  Korong  on  purpose 
to  get  rid  of  him  the  more  easily,  and  so  had  elevated  into 
his  own  worst  potential  enemy — suppose  this  new-comer, 
the  King  of  the  Rain,  were  by  chance  to  speak  that  other 
dialect  of  the  bird-lanofuao-e,  whicli  the  Kino;'  of  the  Birds 
himself  knew  not,  but  whicli  the  parrot  had  learned  from 
his  old  master,  tlie  ancient  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  other  days,  and 
in  which  the  bird  still  recited  the  secret  of  the  sacred  tree 
and  the  Death  of  the  Great  God — ah,  then  he  might  still 


ti 


i;  \' 


I'r;" 


■■\"'    ■ 


^n  !■ 


t    i> 


.'     i 


m 


'i  ■;      I 


1^2 


77//r    GRI.AT  TAnOO. 


1 

'  \  i  1.., 

1!  :  Is; 

1 


have  to  fight  hard  for  his  divinhy.  lie  gazed  angrily  at 
the  bird.  Mcthusehih  blinked,  and  put  his  head  on  one 
side,  and  looked  craftily  askance  at  him.  Tu-Kila-Kila 
hated  it,  that  insolent  creature.  Was  he  not  a  god,  and 
should  lie  be  thus  bearded  in  his  own  island  by  a  mere 
Soul  of  dead  birds,  a  poor,  wretched  parrot  ?  But  the 
curse  !  What  miglit  not  that  portend  ?  Ah,  well,  he  would 
risk  it.  Glancin2:  around  him  once  more  to  the  ri2:ht  and 
left,  to  make  sure  that  nobody  was  looking,  the  cunning 
savage  put  forth  his  hand  stealthily,  and  tried  with  a 
friendly  caress  to  seize  the  parrot. 

In  a  moment,  before  he  had  time  to  know  what  was 
happening,  Mcthi.  *i — sleepy  old  dotard  as  he  seemed 
— liad  woke  uj)  at  oace  to  a  sense  of  danger.  Turning 
suddenly  round  upon  the  sleek,  caressing  liand,  he  darted 
his  beak  with  a  vicious  peck  at  his  assailant,  and  bit  the 
divine  finger  of  the  Pillar  of  Heaven  as  carelessly  as  he 
would  liave  bitten  any  child  on  Boupari.  Tu-Kila  Kila, 
thunder-struck,  drew  back  his  arm  with  a  start  of  surprise 
and  a  loud  cry  of  pain.  The  bird  had  wounded  him.  He 
shook  his  iiand  and  stamped.  Blood  was  dropping  on  the 
ground  from  the  man-god's  finger.  He  hardly  knew  what 
strange  evil  this  omen  of  harm  might  portend  for  the 
world.  The  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots  had  carried  out  the 
curse,  and  had  drawn  red  drops  from  the  sacred  veins  of 
Tu-Kila-Kila. 

One  must  be  a  savage  one's  self,  and  superstitious  at 
that,  fully  to  understand  the  awful  significance  of  this 
deadly  occurrence.  To  draw  blood  from  a  god,  and,  above 
all,  to  let  that  blood  fall  upon  the  dust  of  the  ground,  is 
the  very  worst  luck — too  awful  for  the  human  mind  to 
contemplate. 

At  the  same  moment,  the  parrot,  awakened  by  the  un- 
expected attack,  threw  back  its  head  on  its  perch,  and, 
lauofhins:  loud  and  lonor  to  itself  in  its  own  harsh  way,  be- 
gan  to  pour  forth  a  whole  volley  of  oaths  m  a  guttural 
language,  of  which  neither  Tu-Kila-Kila  nor  the  French- 


77//';   GREAT  TABOO. 


t  ->  1 


man  understood  one  syllable.  And  at  the  same  moment, 
too,  M.  Peyron  liimself,  recalled  from  the  door  of  his  hut 
by  Tu-Kila-Kila's  sharp  cry  of  pain  and  by  liis  liege  sub- 
ject's voluble  flow  of  loud  speech  and  laughter,  ran  up  all 
agog  to  know  what  was  the  matter. 

Tu-Kila-Kila,  with  an  effort,  tried  to  hide  in  his  robe  his 
wounded  finger.  Bnt  the  Frenchman  caught  at  the  mean- 
ing of  the  whole  scene  at  once,  and  interposed  himself 
hastily  between  the  parrot  and  its  assailant.  ^^  Jfe !  my 
Methuselah,"  he  cried,  in  French,  stroking  the  exultant 
bird  with  liis  hand,  and  smoothing  its  rufilcd  feathers, 
*'did  he  try  to  choke  you,  then  ?  Did  he  try  to  get  over 
you  ?  That  was  a  brave  bird  !  You  did  well,  jnon  aini\  to 
bite  him  !  .  .  .  No,  no,  Life  of  the  World,  and  Meas- 
urer of  the  Sun's  Course,"  he  went  on,  in  Polynesian,  ''you 
shall  not  go  near  him.  Keep  your  distance,  I  beg  of  you. 
You  may  be  a  high  god — though  you  were  a  scurvy  wretcu 
enough,  don't  you  recollect,  when  you  were  only  Lavita, 
the  son  of  Sami — but  I  know  your  tricks.  Hands  off  from 
my  birds,  say  I.  A  curse  is  on  the  head  of  the  Soul  of 
dead  parrots.  You  tried  to  hurt  him,  and  see  how  the 
curse  has  worked  itself  out  !  The  blood  of  the  great  god, 
the  Pillar  of  Heaven,  has  stained  the  gray  dust  of  the  isl- 
and of  Boupari." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  stood  sucking  liis  finger,  and  looking  the 
very  picture  of  the  most  savage  sheepishness. 


j.i  .!• 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


DOMESTIC    BLISS. 


Tu-Kila-Kila  went  home  that  day  in  a  very  bad  humor. 
The  portent  of  the  bitten  finger  had  seriously  disturbed 
him.  For,  strange  as  it  sounds  to  us,  he  really  believed 
himself  in  his  own  divinity  ;  and  the  bare  thought  that 
the  holy  soil  of  earth  should  be  dabbled  and  wet  with  the 


MB 


!l 


■  111 


I  I 


li 


li! 


If 


134 


r//E  GREAT  TABOO. 


blood  of  a  god  gave  him  no  little  uneasiness  in  his  own 
mind  on  his  way  homeward.  Besides,  wliat  would  liis  people 
think  of  it  if  they  found  it  out  ?  At  all  hazards  almost,  he 
must  strive  to  conceal  this  episode  of  the  bite  from  the 
men  of  Boupari.  A  god  who  gets  wounded,  and,  worse 
still,  gets  wounded  in  the  very  act  of  trying  to  break  a 
great  taboo  laid  on  by  himself  in  a  previous  incarnation — 
such  a  god  undoubtedly  lays  himself  open  to  the  gravest 
misapprehensions  on  the  part  of  his  worshippers.  Indeed, 
it  was  not  even  certain  whether  his  people,  if  they  knew, 
would  anv  lonc^er  rejyard  him  as  a  G^od  at  all.  The  devotion 
of  savages  is  profound,  but  it  is  far  from  personal.  When 
deities  pass  so  readily  from  one  body  to  another,  you  must 
always  keep  a  sharp  lookout  lest  the  great  spirit  should  at 
any  minute  have  deserted  his  earthly  tabernacle,  and  have 
taken  up  his  abode  in  a  fresh  representative.  Honor  the 
gods  by  all  means  ;  but  make  sure  at  the  same  time  what 
particular  house  they  are  just  then  inhabiting. 

It  was  the  hour  of  siesta  in  Tu-Kila-Kila's  tent.  For  a 
short  space  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  during  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  while  Fire  and  Water,  with  their  embers  and  their 
calabash,  sac  on  guard  in  a  porch  by  the  bamboo  gate,  lu- 
Kila-Kila,  Pillar  of  Heaven  and  Threshold  of  Earth,  had 
respite  for  a  while  from  his  daily  task  of  guarding  the 
sacred  banyan,  and  could  take  his  ease  after  his  meal  in  his 
own  quarters.  While  that  precious  hour  of  taboo  lasted, 
no  wandering  dragon  or  spirit  of  the  air  could  hurt  the 
holy  tree,  and  no  human  assailant  dare  touch  or  approach 
it.  Even  the  disease-making  gods,  who  walk  in  the  pesti- 
lence, could  not  blight  or  wither  it.  At  all  other  times  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  mounted  guard  over  his  tree  with  a  jealousy 
that  fairly  astonished  Felix  Thurstan's  soul  ;  for  Felix 
Thurstan  only  dimly  understood  as  yet  hoAV  implicitly  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  own  life  and  office  were  bound  up  with  the  in- 
violability of  the  banyan  he  protected. 

Within  the  hut,  during  that  playtime  of  siesta,  while  the 
lizards  (who  are  also  gods)  ran  up  and  down  the  wall,  and 


TlfE   GREAT  TABOO. 


135 


puffed  their  orange  throats,  Tii-KUa-Kila  lounged  at  his 
case  tiiat  afternoon,  with  one  of  his  many  wives — a  tali  and 
beautiful  Polynesian  woman,  lirhe  and  supple,  as  is  the 
wont  of  her  race,  and  as  exquisitely  formed  in  every  limb 
and  feature  as  a  sculptured  Greek  goddess.  A  graceful 
wrcatli  of  crimson  hibiscus  adorned  her  shapely  head, 
round  which  her  long  and  glossy  black  hair  was  coiled  in 
great  rings  with  artistic  profusion.  A  festoon  of  blue  flow- 
ers and  dark-red  dracruna  leaves  hung  like  a  chaplct  over 
jier  olive-brown  neck  and  swelling  bust.  One  breadth  of 
native  cloth  did  duty  for  an  apron  or  girdle  round  her 
waist  and  hips.  All  else  was  naked.  Her  j)lump  brown 
arms  were  set  off  bv  the  green  and  crimson  of  the  flowers 
that  decked  her.  Tu-Kila-Kila  glanced  lit  his  slave  with 
approving  eyes.  He  always  liked  Ula  ;  she  pleased  him 
the  best  of  all  his  women.  And  she  knew  his  ways,  too  : 
she  never  contradicted  him. 

Among  savages,  guile  is  woman's  best  protection.  The 
wife  who  knows  when  to  give  way  with  hypocritical  obedi- 
ence, and  when  to  coax  or  wheedle  her  yielding  lord,  runs 
the  best  chance  in  the  end  for  her  life.  Her  model  is  not 
the  oak,  but  the  willow.  S!ic  must  be  able  to  watch  for 
the  rising  signs  of  ill-humor  in  her  master's  mind,  and 
guard  against  them  carefully.  If  she  is  wise,  she  keeps 
out  of  her  husband's  way  when  his  anger  is  aroused,  but 
soothes  and  flatters  him  to  the  top  of  his  bent  when  his 
temper  is  just  slightly  or  momentarily  ruffled. 

"  The  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth  is  ill  at  ease,"  Ula 
murmured,  insinuatingly,  as  Tu-Kila-Kila  winced  once  with 
the  pain  ot  his  swollen  finger.  "What  has  liappened  to- 
day to  the  Increaser  of  Bread-Fruit  ?  My  lord  is  sad.  His 
eye  is  downcast.  'Vho  has  crossed  my  master's  will  ?  Who 
has  dared  to  anger  him  ? " 

Tu-Kila-Kila  kept  the  wounded  hand  wrapped  up  in  a 
soft  leaf,  like  a  woolly  mullein.  All  the  way  home  he  had 
been  obliged  to  conceal  it,  and  disguise  the  pain  he  felt, 
lest  Fire  and  Water  should  discover  his  secret.    For  he 


I' 


u 


\- 


136 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


dared  not  let  his  people  know  that  the  Soul  of  all  dead 
parrots  had  bitten  his  finger,  and  drawn  blood  from  the 
sacred  veins  of  tlie  man-god.  But  he  almost  hesitated  now 
whetiier  or  not  he  should  confide  in  Ula.  A  god  may 
surely  trust  his  own  wedded  wives.  And  yet — such  need 
to  be  careful — women  are  so  treacherous  !  lie  suspected 
Ula  sometimes  of  being  a  great  deal  too  fond  of  that  young 
man  Toko,  who  used  to  be  one  of  the  temple  attendants, 
and  wliom  he  had  given  as  Shadow  accordingly  to  the  King 
of  the  Rain,  so  as  to  get  rid  of  him  altogether  from  among 
the  crowd  of  his  followers.  So  he  kept  his  own  counsel 
for  the  moment,  and  disguised  his  misfortune.  "  I  have 
been  to  see  tlie  King  of  the  Birds  this  morning,"  he 
said,  in  a  grumbling  voice  ;  "and  I  do  not  like  him.  That 
God  is  too  insolent.  For  my  part  I  hate  these  strangers, 
one  and  all.  They  have  no  respect  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  like 
tlie  men  of  Boupari.  They  are  as  bad  as  atheists.  They 
fear  not  the  gods,  and  the  customs  of  our  fathers  are  not 
in  them." 

Ula  crept  nearer,  with  one  lithe  round  arm  laid  caress- 
ingly close  to  her  master's  neck.  *'  Then  why  do  you  make 
them  Korong  ? "  slie  asked,  with  feminine  curiosity,  like 
some  wife  who  seeks  to  worm  out  of  her  husband  the  se- 
cret of  freemasonry.  "Why  do  you  not  cook  them  and  eat 
them  at  once,  as  soon  as  they  arrive  ?  They  are  very  good 
food — so  white  and  fine.  That  last  new-comer,  now — the 
Ouecn  of  the  Clouds — why  not  eat  her?  She  is  plump  and 
tender." 

"  I  like  her,"  Tu  Kila-Kila  responded,  in  a  gloating  tone. 
"I  like  her  every  way.  I  would  have  brought  her  here  to 
my  temple  and  admitted  her  at  once  to  be  one  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila's  wives — only  that  Fire  and  Water  would  not  have  per- 
mitted me.  They  have  too  many  taboos,  those  awkward 
gods.  I  do  not  love  them.  But  I  make  my  strangers 
Korong  for  a  very  wise  reason.  You  women  are  fools ;  you 
understand  nothing  ;  you  do  not  know  the  mysteries. 
These  things  arc  a  great  deal  too  high  and  too  deep  foryou. 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


137 


sc- 


)od 


md 


me. 

to 
ila- 
Jer- 
ird 
lers 
[ou 
les. 

>iu 


You  could  not  comprehend  them.  But  men  know  well 
why.  They  arc  wise  ;  they  have  been  initiated.  Much 
more,  then,  do  I,  who  am  the  very  higli  god — who  cat 
human  flesh  and  drink  blood  like  water — who  cause  tlic 
sun  to  shine  and  the  fruits  to  grow — without  whom  the 
day  in  heaven  would  fade  and  die  out,  and  the  foundations 
of  tiie  earth  would  be  shaken  like  a  plantain  leaf.' 

Ula  laid  her  soft  brown  hand  soothingly  on  the  great 
god's  arm  just  above  the  elbow.  "Tell  me,"  she  said, 
leaning  forward  toward  him,  and  looking  deep  into  his 
eyes  witli  those  great  speaking  gray  orbs  of  hers  ;  "tell 
me,  O  Sustainer  of  the  Equipoise  of  Heaven  ;  I  know  you 
are  great  ;  I  know  you  are  mighty  ;  I  know  you  arc  holy 
and  wise  and  cruel ;  but  why  must  you  Icf  tliese  sailing 
gods  who  come  from  unknown  lands  beyond  the  place 
where  the  sun  rises  or  sets — why  must  you  let  them  so 
trouble  and  annoy  you  ?  Why  do  you  not  at  once  eat  them 
up  and  be  done  with  them  ?  Is  not  their  flesh  sweet  ?  Is 
not  their  blood  red  ?  Are  they  not  a  dainty  well  fit  for  the 
banquet  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  \  " 

The  savage  looked  at  her  for  a  moment  and  hesitated. 
A  very  beautiful  woman  this  Ula,  certainly.  Not  one  of 
all  his  wives  had  larger  brown  limbs,  or  whiter  teeth,  or  a 
deeper  rerpect  for  his  divine  nature.  He  had  almost  a 
mind — it  was  only  Ula  ?  Why  not  br^ak  the  silence  en- 
joined upon  gods  toward  women,  and  explain  this  matter 
to  her  ?  Not  the  great  secret  itself,  of  course — the  secret 
on  which  hung  the  Death  and  Transmigration  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila — oh,  no  ;  not  that  one.  The  savage  was  far  too  cun- 
ning in  his  generation  to  intrurt  that  fjnal  terrible  Taboo 
to  the  ears  of  a  woman.  But  the  reason  why  he  made  all 
strangers  Korong.  A  woman  might  surely  be  trusted  with 
that — especially  Ula.  She  was  so  very  handsome.  And 
she  was  always  g.o  respectful  to  him. 

''Well,  the  fact  of  it  is,"  he  answered,  laying  his  hand 
on  her  neck,  that  plump  brown  neck  of  hers,  under  the 
garland  of  dracaena  leaves,  and  stroking  it  voluptuously, 


',  1 


138 


TirE   CREAT  TABOO. 


\, 


"  the  sailing  gods  wlio  liappcii  upon  this  island  from  time 
to  time  arc  made  Korong — but  hush  !  it  is  taboo."  lie 
gazed  aruuud  the  hut  suspiciously.  "Are  all  the  others 
away  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  frightened  tone.  "  Fire  and  Water 
would  denounce  me  to  all  my  people  if  once  they  found  I 
had  told  a  taboo  to  a  woman.  And  as  for  you,  they  would 
take  you,  because  you  knew  it,  and  would  pull  your  tlesh 
from  your  bones  with  liot  stone  pincers  !  " 

Ula  rose  and  looked' about  her  at  the  door  of  the  tent. 
She  nodded  thrice ;  then  she  glided  back,  serpentine,  and 
threw  herself  gracefully,  in  a  statuesque  pose,  on  the  na- 
tive mat  beside  him.  "  Here,  drink  some  more  kava,"  she 
cried,  holding  a  bowl  to  his  lips,  and  wheedling  him  with 
her  eyes.  "Kava  is  good;  it  is  fit  for  gods.  It  makes 
them  royally  drunk,  as  becomes  great  deities.  The  spirits 
of  our  ancestors  dwell  in  the  bowl ;  when  you  drink  of  the 
kava  they  mount  by  degrees  into  your  heart  and  head. 
They  inspire  brave  words.  They  give  yow  thoughts  of 
heaven.  Drink,  my  master,  drink.  The  Ruler  of  the  Sun 
in  Heaven  is  thirsty." 

She  lay  propped  on  one  elbow,  with  her  face  close  to 
his  ;  and  offered  him,  with  one  brown,  irresistible  hand, 
the  intoxicating  liquor.  Tu-Kila-Kila  took  the  bowl,  and 
drank  a  second  time,  for  he  had  drunk  of  it  once  with  his 
dinner  already.  It  was  seldom  he  allowed  himself  the  lux- 
uxy  of  a  second  draught  of  that  very  stupefying  native  in- 
toxicant, for  he  knew  too  well  the  danger  of  insecurely 
guarding  his  sacred  tree  ;  but  on  this  particular  occasion, 
as  on  so  many  others  in  the  collective  life  of  humanity, 
"the  woman  tempted  him,"  and  he  acted  as  she  told  him. 
He  drank  it  off  deep.  "  Ha,  ha !  that  is  good  !  "  he  cried, 
smacking  his  lins.  "  That  is  a  drink  fit  for  a  god.  No 
woman  can  make  kava  like  you,  Ula."  He  toyed  with  her 
arms  and  neck  lazily  once  more.  "  You  are  the  queen  of 
my  wives,"  he  went  on,  in  a  dreamy  voice.  "  I  like  you 
so  well,  that,  plump   as  you  are,  I   really  believe^  Ula,  \ 

CQuld  never  m^ke  yp  my  mind  to  eat  yon," 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


139 


lity, 

lim. 

ied, 

No 

her 

of 

'OU 

a,  \ 


'*  My  lord  is  very  gracious,"  Ula  made  answer,  in  a  soft, 
low  tone,  pretending  to  caress  him.  And  for  some  min- 
utes more  she  continued  to  make  much  of  liim  in  the  ful- 
some strain  of  Polynesian  llattery. 

At  hist  the  kava  Iiad  clearly  got  into  Tu  Kila-Kila's  head. 
Then  Ula  bent  forward  once  more  and  again  attacked  him. 
**  Now  I  know  you  will  tell  me,"  she  said,  coaxingly,  "  why 
you  make  them  Korong.  As  long  as  I  live,  I  will  never 
speaK  or  hint  of  it  to  anybody  anywhere.  And  if  I  do- 
why,  the  remedy  is  near.  I  am  your  meat — take  me  and 
eat  me." 

Even  cannibals  are  human  ;  and  at  the  touch  of  her  soft 
hand,  Tu-Kila-Kila  gave  way  slowly.  "  I  made  them  Ko- 
rong," he  answered,  in  rather  thick  accents,' "  because  it 
is  less  dangerous  for  me  to  make  them  so  than  to  choose 
for  the  post  from  among  our  own  islanders.  Sooner  or 
later,  my  day  must  come  ;  but  I  can  put  it  off  best  by  mak- 
ing my  enemies  out  of  strangers  who  arrive  upon  our  isl- 
and, and  not  out  of  those  of  my  own  household.  All  Bou- 
pari  men  who  have  been  initiated  know  the  terrible  secret — 
they  know  where  lies  the  Death  of  Tu-Kila-Kila.  Tlie 
strangers  who  come  to  us  from  the  sun  or  the  sea  do  not 
know  it ;  and  therefore  my  life  is  safest  with  them.  So  I 
make  them  Korong  whenever  I  can,  to  prolong  my  own 
days,  and  to  guard  my  secret." 

"And  the  Death  of  Tu-Kila-Kila?"  the  woman  whis- 
pered, very  low,  still  soothing  his  arm  with  her  hand  and 
patting  his  cheek  softly  from  time  to  time  with  a  gentle, 
caressing  motion.  "  Tell  me  where  does  that  live  ?  Who 
holds  it  in  charge  ?  Where  is  Tu-Kila-Kila's  great  spirit 
laid  by  in  safety  ?  I  know  it  is  in  the  tree  ;  but  where  and 
in  what  part  of  it  ? " 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back  with  a  little  cry  of  surprise. 
"  You  know  it  is  in  the  tree  ! "  he  cried.  "  You  know  my 
soul  is  kept  there !  Why,  Ula,  who  told  you  that  ?  and 
you  a  woman  !  Bad  medicine  indeed!  Some  man  has 
been  blabbing  what  he  learned  in  the  mysteries.     If  this 


1:'!>' 


■  i' 

\ 

i  1: 

140 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


lii  ■ 


should  reach  the  ears  of  the  Kuig  of  the  Rain — "  he  paused 
mysteriously. 

"  What  ?  VVliut  ?  "  Ula  cried,  seizing  his  hand  in  hers, 
and  pressing  it  hard  to  her  bosom  in  her  anxiety  and 
eagerness.     '*  Tell  me  the  secret !     Tell  me  !  " 

With  a  sudden  sharp  howl  of  darting  pain,  Tu-Kila-Kila 
withdrew  his  hand.  Siie  had  squeezed  the  linger  the  par- 
rot had  bitten,  and  blood  began  once  more  to  How  from  it 
freely. 

A  wild  impulse  of  revenge  came  over  the  savage.  lie 
caught  her  by  the  neck  with  his  other  hand,  pressed  her 
throat  hard,  till  she  was  black  in  the  face,  kicked  her 
several  times  with  ferocious  rage,  and  tiicn  flung  her  away 
from  him  to  the  other  side  of  the  hut  with  a  fierce  and  un- 
translatable native  imprecation. 

Ula,  shaken  and  hurt,  darted  away  toward  the  door, 
with  a  face  of  abject  terror.  For  every  reason  on  earth 
she  was  intensely  alarmed.  Were  it  merely  as  a  matter  of 
purely  earthly  fear,  she  had  ground  enough  for  friglit  in 
having  so  roused  the  hasty  anger  of  that  powerful  and 
implacable  creature.  He  would  kill  her  and  eat  her  with 
far  less  compunction  than  an  English  farmer  would  kill 
and  e£it  one  of  his  own  barnyard  chickens.  But  besides 
that,  it  terrified  her  not  a  little  in  more  mysterious  ways  to 
see  the  blood  of  a  god  falling  upon  the  earth  so  freely. 
She  knew  not  what  awful  results  to  herself  and  her  race 
might  follow  from  so  terrible  a  desecration. 

But,  to  her  utter  astonishment,  the  great  god  himself, 
mad  with  rage  as  he  was,  seemed  none  the  less  almost  as 
profoundly  frightened  and  surprised  as  she  herself  was. 
"  What  did  you  do  that  for  ?  "  he  cried,  now  sufficiently 
recovered  for  thought  and  speech,  wringing  his  hand  with 
pain,  and  then  popping  his  finger  hastily  into  his  mouth 
to  ease  it.  "You  are  a  clumsy  thing.  And  you  want  to 
destroy  me,  too,  with  your  foolish  clumsiness." 

He  looked  at  her  and  scowled.  He  was  very  angry. 
But  the  savage  woman  is  nothing  if  not  c[uick-witted  an(J 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


141 


-eely. 
rncc 


politic.  In  a  flash  of  intiiilioii,  Ula  saw  at  once  lie  was 
more  friglitcncd  than  hurt  ;  he  was  afraid  of  the  effect  of 
tills  strange  revelation  ui)on  his  own  rei)utatiun  fur  su- 
preme gocisliip.  Willi  every  mark  and  gesture  of  dej)reca- 
toiy  servility  tlie  woman  sidled  back  to  his  sitle  like  a 
whip[)ed  dog.  For  a  second  she  looked  down  on  the  lloor 
at  tlie  drops  of  blood  ;  then,  without  one  word  of  warning 
or  one  instant's  hesitation,  she  bit  her  own  linger  hard  till 
blood  flowed  from  it  freely.  "  I  will  show  this  to  Fire  and 
Water,"  she  said,  holding  it  up  before  his  eyes,  all  red  and 
bleeding.  "  I  will  say  you  were  angry  with  me  and  bit  me 
for  a  punishment,  as  you  often  do.  Tliey  will  never  find 
out  it  was  the  blood  of  a  god.  Have  no  fear  for  their  eyes. 
Let  mc  look  at  your  finger." 

Tu-Kila-Kila,  half  appeased  by  her  clever  quickness,  held 
his  hand  out  sulkily,  like  51  d;  obedient  child.  Ula  ex- 
amined it  close.  **A  bite,"  she  said,  shortly.  "A  bite 
from  a  bird  !  a  peck  from  a  parrot." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  jerked  out  a  surly  assent.  **  Yes,  the  St)ul 
of  all  dead  parrots,"  he  answered,  with  an  angry  glare. 
"  It  bit  me  this  morning  at  the  King  of  the  Birds'.  A 
vicious  brute.     But  no  one  else  saw  it." 

Ula  put  the  finger  up  to  her  ov/n  mouth,  and  sucked 
the  wound  gently.  Her  medicine  stanched  it.  Then  she 
took  a  thin  leaf  of  the  paper  mulberry,  soft,  cool,  and 
soothing,  and  bound  it  round  the  place  with  a  strip  of  the 
lace-like  inner  bark,  as  deftly  as  any  hospital  nurse  in 
London  would  have  done  it.  These  savage  women  arc 
capital  hands  in  sickness.  Tu-Kila-Kila  sat  and  sulked 
meanwhile,  like  a  disappointed  child.  When  Ula  had 
finished,  she  nodded  her  head  and  glided  softly  away. 
She  knew  her  chance  of  learning  the  secret  was  gone  for 
the  moment,  and  she  had  too  much  of  the  guile  of  the 
savage  woman  to  spoil  her  chances  by  loitering  about  un- 
necessarily while  her  lord  was  in  his  present  ungracious 
humor. 

As  she  stole  from  the  hut,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  looking  rue-f 


il: 


I    ' 


1'. 

I     . 


%  ■ 


142 


THE   ORE  AT  TABOO. 


W   Vii 


:ll 


if 


fully  Jxt  his  wounded  hand,  and  then  at  thai  light  and 
supple  retreating  figure,  muttered  sulkily  to  himself,  with 
a  very  bad  grace,  "the  woman  knows  too  mucli.  She 
nearly  wormed  my  secret  out  of  me.  She  knows  that  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  life  and  soul  are  bound  wx^.  in  the  tree.  She 
knows  that  I  bled,  and  that  the  parrot  bit  me.  If  she 
blabs,  as  women  will  do,  mischief  may  come  of  it.  I  am  a 
great  god,  a  very  great  god — keen,  bloodthirsty,  cruel. 
And  I  like  that  woman.  But  it  would  be  wiser  and  safer, 
perhaps,  after  all,  to  forego  my  affection  and  to  make  a 
great  feast  of  her." 

And  Ula,  looking  back  with  a  smile  and  a  nod,  and 
holding  up  her  own  bitten  and  bleeding  hand  with  a  fare- 
well shake,  as  if  to  remind  her  divine  husband  of  her 
promise  to  show  it  to  Fire  and  Water,  murmured  low  to 
herself  as  she  went,  "  He  is  a  very  great  god  ;  a  very  great 
goi,  no  doubt;  but  I  hate  him,  I  hate  him!  He  would 
eat  me  to-morrow  if  I  didn't  coax  him  and  wheedle  him 
and  keep  him  in  a  good  temper.  You  want  to  be  sharp, 
indeed,  to  be  the  wife  of  a  god.  I  got  off  to-day  witli  the 
skin  of  my  teeth.  He  might  have  turned  and  killed  me. 
If  only  I  could  find  out  the  Great  Taboo,  I  would  tell  it  to 
the  stranger,  the  King  of  the  Rain  ;  and  then,  perhaps, 
Tu-Kila-Kila  would  die.  And  the  stranger  would  become 
Tu-Kila-Kila  in  turn,  and  I  would  be  one  of  his  wives ; 
and  Toko,  who  is  his  Shadow,  would  return  again  to  the 
service  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple." 

But  Fire,  as  she  passed,  was  paying  to  Water,  "We  are 
getting  tired  in  Boupari  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami.  If 
the  luck  of  the  island  is  not  to  change,  it  is  h'  ^-h  time,  I 
think,  we  should  have  a  new  Tu-Kih-Kila," 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


143 


t  and 
■,  with 
She 
at  Tu- 
,  She 
If  she 
I  am  a 
cruel. 
I  safer, 
[lake  a 

)d,  and 
a  fare- 
of  her 

low  to 
y  great 

would 
lie  him 
J  sharp, 

til  the 

cd  me. 

ell  it  to 
lerhaps, 

Decome 

wives ; 
to  the 

We  are 
Iimi.     If 
time,  I 


CHAPTER  XX. 


COUNCIL   OF   WAR. 


That  same  afternoon  Muriel  hacf  a  visitor.  M.  Jules 
Pcyron,  formerly  of  the  College  de  France,  no  longer  a 
mere  Polynesian  god,  but  a  French  gentleman  of  the 
Boulevards  in  voice  and  manner,  came  to  pay  his  respects, 
as  in  duty  bound,  to  Mademoiselle  Ellis.  M.  Peyron  had 
performed  his  toilet  under  trying  circumstances,  to  the 
best  of  his  abiUty.  The  remnants  of  his  European  clothes, 
much  patched  and  overhung  witli  squares  of  native  tappa 
clotli,  were  hidden  as  much  as  possible  by  a  wide  feather 
cloak,  very  sav  :ige  in  effect,  but  more  seemly,  at  any  rate, 
than  the  tattered  garments  in  which  Felix  had  first  found 
him  in  his  own  garden  parterre.  M.  Peyron,  however, 
was  fully  aware  of  the  defects  of  his  costume,  and  pro- 
foundly apologetic.  "  It  is  with  ten  thousand  regrets, 
mademoiselle,"  he  said,  many  times  over,  bowing  low  and 
simpering,  "that  I  venture  to  appear  in  a  lady's  salon — 
for,  after  all.,  wherever  a  European  lady  goes,  there  her 
salon  follows  her — in  sucli  a  tcnue  as  that  in  which  I  am 
now  compelled  to  present  myself.  Mais  que  voidez-vousl 
Nous  vc  sommes  pas  a  Paris  !^'  For  to  M.  Peyron,  as  innocent 
in  his  way  as  Mali  herself,  the  whole  world  divided  itself 
into  Paris  and  the  Provinces. 

Nevertheless,  it  was  touching  to  both  the  new-comers 
to  see  the  Frenchman's  delight  at  meeting  once  more 
with  civilized  beings.  '*  Figure  to  yourself,  mademoi- 
selle," he  said,  with  true  Frencli  effusion — "figure  to  your- 
self the  joy  and  surprise  with  which  I,  this  morning, 
receive  monsieur,  your  friend,  at  my  humble  cottage  ! 
For  the  lirst  time  after  nine  years  on  this  hateful  island,  I 
see  again  a  European  face  ;  I  hear  again  the  sound,  the 
beautiful  sound  of  that  charming  French  language.  My 
emotion,  believe  me,  Vv'as  too  profound  for  words.    When 


r  V 


W-  ■  \ 


!^ 


144 


THE  GREAT  TABOO. 


\  \ 


; 


'11! 


monsieur  was  gone,  I  retired  to  my  hut,  I  sat  down  on 
the  floor,  I  gave  myself  over  to  tears,  tears  of  joy  and 
gratitude,  to  think  I  should  once  more  catch  a  glimpse 
of  civilization !  This  afternoon,  I  ask  myself,  can  I  ven- 
ture to  go  out  and  pay  my  respects,  thus  attired,  in 
these  rags,  to  a  European  lady?  For  a  long  time  I  doubt, 
I  wonder,  I  hesitate.  In  my  quality  of  Frenchman,  I 
would  have  wished  to  call  in  civilized  costume  upon  a 
civilized  household.  But  what  would  you  have  ?  Neces- 
sity knows  no  law.  I  am  compelled  to  envelope  myself 
in  my  savage  robe  of  office  as  a  Polynesian  god — a  robe 
of  office  which,  for  the  rest,  is  not  witliout  an  interest  of 
its  own  for  the  scientific  ethnologist.  It  belongs  to  me 
especially  as  King  of  the  Birds,  and  in  it,  in  efifect,  is 
represented  at  least  one  feather  of  each  kind  or  color 
from  every  part  of  the  body  of  every  species  of  bird 
that  inhabits  Boupari.  I  thus  sum  up,  pour  ainsi  dire^ 
in  my  official  costume  all  the  birds  of  the  island,  as  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,  the  very  high  god,  sums  up,  in  his  quaint  and 
curious  dress,  the  land  and  the  sea,  the  trees  and  the 
stones,  earth  and  air,  and  fire  and  water." 

Familiarity  with  danger  begets  at  last  a  certain  callous 
indifference.  Muriel  was  surprised  in  her  own  mind  to 
discover  how  easily  they  could  chat  with  M.  Peyron  on 
such  indifferent  subjects,  with  that  awful  doom  of  an  ap- 
proaching death  hanging  over  them  so  shortly.  But  the 
fact  was,  terrors  of  every  kind  had  so  encompassed  them 
round  since  their  arrival  on  the  island  that  the  mere  addi- 
tional certainty  of  a  date  and  mode  of  execution  was 
rather  a  relief  to  their  minds  than  otherwise.  It  partook 
of  the  nature  of  a  reprieve,  not  of  a  sentence.  Besides,  this 
meeting  with  anotlicr  speaker  of  a  European  tongue 
seemed  to  them  so  full  of  promise  and  hope  that  they 
almost  forofot  the  terrors  of  their  threatened  end  in  their 
discussion  of  possible  schemes  for  escape  to  freedom. 
Even  M.  Peyron  himself,  who  had  spent  nine  long  years 


of  exile  in  the 


[tnse 
island 


felt  that  the  arrival  of  two  new 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


145 


[1  on 

and 

Qipse 

ven- 
d,   in 
oubt, 
an,  I 
)on   a 
Jeces- 
nyself 
,  robe 
est  of 
to  me 
ect,   is 

color 
f  bird 
si  dire^ 
as  Tu- 
nt  and 
id   the 

callous 
lind  to 
ron  on 
an  ap- 
3ut  the 
i  them 
-e  addi- 
jn   was 
partook 
les,  this 
tongue 
at    they 
in  their 
reedom. 
g  years 
wo  new 


Europeans  gave  him  some  hope  of  effecting  at  last  his  own 
retreat  from  this  unendurable  position.  His  talk  was  all 
of  passing  steamers.  If  the  Australasian  had  come  near 
enough  once  to  sight  the  island,  he  argued,  then  the  home- 
ward-bound vessel,  en  route  for  Honolulu,  must  have  be- 
gun to  take  a  new  course  considerably  to  the  eastward  of 
the  old  navigable  channel.  If  this  were  so,  their  obvious 
plan  was  to  keep  a  watch,  day  and  night,  for  another 
passing  Australian  liner,  and  whenever  one  hove  in 
sight,  to  steal  away  to  the  shore,  seize  a  stray  canoe,  over> 
power,  if  possible,  their  Shadows,  or  give  them  the  slip^ 
and  make  one  bold  stroke  for  freedom  on  the  open  ocean. 

None  of  them  could  conceal  from  their  own  minds,  to 
be  sure,  the  extreme  difficulty  of  carrying  out  this  pro- 
gramme. In  the  first  place,  it  was  a  toss-up  whether  they 
ever  sighted  another  steamer  at  all  ;  for  during  the  weeks 
they  had  already  passed  on  the  island,  not  a  sign  of  one 
had  appeared  from  any  quarter.  Then,  again,  even  sup- 
posing a  steamer  ever  hove  in  sight,  what  likelihood  that 
they  could  make  out  for  her  in  an  open  canoe  in  time  to 
attract  attention  before  she  hnd  passed  the  island  ?  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  would  never  willingly  \  t  them  go  ;  their  Shad- 
ows would  watch  them  with  unceasinj::  care  ;  the  whole 
body  of  natives  would  combine  together  to  prevent  their 
departure.  If  they  ran  away  at  all,  they  must  run  for  their 
lives  ;  as  soon  as  the  islanders  discovered  they  were  gune, 
every  war-canoe  in  the  place  would  be  manned  a'  once  with 
bloodthirsty  savages,  who  would  follow  on  their  track  with 
relentless  persistence. 

As  for  Muriel,  less  prepared  for  such  dangero-  adven- 
tures than  the  two  men,  she  was  ratber  inclined  to  attach  a 
certain  romantic  importance  fns  a  girl  might  do)  to  the  story 
ot  the  parrot  and  tlie  possible  disclosures  which  it  could 
make  if  it  could  only  communicate  with  them.  The 
mysterious  element  in  the  history  of  that  unique  bird  at- 
tracted her  fancy.  "  The  only  one  of  its  race  now  left 
alive,"  she  said,  with  slow  reflectiveness.     **  Like  Dolly 


I 


1) 


.V 

ij 

!.  1 

i- 

f 

1' 

■  i 

> 

U            '  1 

1 

H 

i  ■ 


10 


■  .i>' 


M 


146 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


:! .  i 


I  I 


■  (I 


Pcntreath,  the  last  old  woman  wlio  could  speak  Cornish  ! 
I  wonder  how  long  parrots  ever  live  ?  Do  you  know  at  ail, 
monsieur  ?  You  are  the  King  of  the  Birds — you  ougiit  to 
be  an  authority  on  their  habits  and  manners." 

The  Frenchman  smiled  a  gallant  smile.  "Unhappily, 
mademoiselle,"  he  said,  **  though,  as  a  medical  student,  1 
took  up  to  a  certain  extent  biological  science  in  general  at 
the  College  de  France,  I  never  paid  any  special  or  peculiar 
attention  in  Paris  to  birds  in  particular.  But  it  is  the 
universal  opinion  of  the  natives  (if  that  counts  for  much) 
that  parrots  live  to  a  very  great  age  ;  and  this  one  old  par- 
rot of  mine*  whom  I  call  Methuselah  on  account  of  his 
advanced  years,  is  considered  by  tliem  all  to  be  a  perfect 
patriarch.  In  effect,  when  the  oldest  men  now  living  on 
the  island  were  little  boys,  they  tell  me  that  Methuselah 
was  already  a  venerable  and  much-venerated  parrot.  lie 
must  certainly  have  outlived  all  the  rest  of  his  race  by  at 
least  the  best  part  of  three-quarters  of  a  century.  For  the 
islanders  themselves  not  infrequently  live,  by  unanimous 
consent,  to  be  over  a  hundred." 

"  I  remember  to  have  read  somewhere,"  Felix  said, 
turning  it  over  in  his  mind,  "  that  when  Humboldt  was 
travelling  in  the  wilds  of  South  Ameri-'i  he  found  one  very 
old  parrot  in  an  Indian  village,  whicn,  the  Indians  assured 
him,  spoke  the  language  of  an  extinct  tribe,  incompre- 
hensible then  by  any  living  person.  If  I  recollect  aright, 
Humboldt  believed  that  particular  bird  must  have  lived  to 
be  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty." 

"  That  is  so,  monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered.  "  I 
remember  the  case  well,  and  have  often  recalled  it.  I  rec- 
ollect our  professor  m.entioning  it  one  day  in  the  course 
of  his  lectures.  And  I  have  always  mentally  coupled  that 
parrot  of  Humboldt's  with  my  own  old  friend  and  subject, 
Methuselah.  However,  that  only  impresses  upon  one 
more  fully  the  folly  of  hoping  that  we  can  learn  anything 
worth  knowing  from  him.  I  have  heard  him  recite  his 
Story  many  times  over,  thotigh  now  he  repeats  it  less  fre- 


THE   CRl'.AT  'JWDOO. 


HI 


said, 
t  was 
very 
ured 
prc- 
-ight, 
ed  to 

''I 

rec- 
)urse 

that 
)ject, 
one 
:hing 
[e  his 
Is  fre- 


w 


quentl)  fhan  he  used  formerly  to  do  ;  and  I  feel  convinced 
it  is  coucLed  in  some  unknown  and,  no  doubt,  forgolten 
language.  It  is  a  much  more  guttural  and  unpleasant 
tongue  than  any  of  the  soft  dialects  now  s|  jken  in  Poly- 
nesia. It  belonged,  I  am  convinced,  to  that  yet  earlier 
and  more  savage  race  which  the  Polynesians  must  have 
displaced  ;  and  as  such  it  is  now,  I  feel  certain,  practically 
irrecoverable." 

"  If  they  were  more  savage  than  the  Polynesians,"  INIuricl 
said,  with  a  profound  sigh,  "  I'm  sorry  for  anybody  who 
fell  in:o  their  clutches." 

"  But  what  would  not  many  philologists  at  home  in  Eng- 
land give,'  Felix  murmured,  philosophically,'*'  f(;r  a  tran- 
script of  the  words  that  parrot  can  speak — {"XMhaps  a  last 
relic  of  the  very  earliest  and  most  primitive  form  of  liuman 
lan2:ua<jc ! " 

At  the  very  moment  when  these  things  were  passing 
under  the  wattled  roof  of  Muriel's  hut,  it  happened  that 
on  the  taboo-space  outside.  Toko,  the  Shadow,  stood  talk- 
ing for  a  moment  with  Ula,  the  fourteenth  wife  of  the 
great  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

'•  I  never  see  you  now,  Toko,"  the  beautiful  Polynesian 
said,  leaning  almost  across  the  white  line  of  coral-sand 
which  she  dared  not  transgress.  "  Times  are  dull  at  the 
temple  since  you  came  to  be  Shadow  to  the  white-faced 
stranger." 

"  It  was  for  that  that  Tu-Kila-Kila  sent  me  here,"  the 
Shadow  answered,  with  profound  conviction.  "  He  is  jeal- 
ous, t!ic  great  god.  He  is  bad.  He  is  cruel.  Fle  wanted 
to  get  rid  of  me.  So  he  sent  me  away  to  the  King  of  the 
Rain  that  I  might  not  seo  you." 

Ula  pouted,  and  held  up  her  wounded  finger  before  his 
eyes  coquettishly.  "  See  what  he  did  to  me,"  she  said, 
with  a  mute  appeal  for  sympathy — though  in  that  particu- 
lar matter  the  truth  was  not  in  her.  **  Your  god  was  angry 
with  me  to-day  because  I  hurt  his  hand,  and  he  clutched 


'*'! 


'). 
\ 

Iv'f 

i 

1    :i 


148 


TITE   GRRAr  TABOO. 


mc  by  the  throat,  and  almost  choked  mc.  He  has  a  bad 
heart.  See  how  he  bit  me  and  drew  blood.  Some  of  these 
days,  I  believe,  he  will  kill  me  and  eat  me." 

The  Shadow  glanced  around  liim  suspiciously  with  an 
uneasy  air.  Then  he  whispered  low,  in  a  voice  half  grudge, 
half  terror,  "If  he  does,  he  is  a  great  god — he  can  search 
all  the  world — I  fear  him  much,  but  Toko's  heart  is  warm. 
Let  Tu-Kila-Kila  look  out  for  vengeance." 

The  woman  glanced  across  at  him  open-eyed,  with  her 
enticing  look.  "  If  the  King  of  the  Rain,  who  is  Korong, 
knew  all  the  secret,"  she  murmured,  slowly,  "  he  would 
soon  be  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself ;  and  you  and  I  could  then 
meet  together  freely." 

The  Shadow  started.  It  was  a  terrible  suggestion. 
"You  mean  to  say — "  he  cried  ;  then  fear  overcame  him, 
and,  crouching  down  where  he  sat,  he  gazed  around  him, 
terrified.  Who  could  say  that  the  wind  would  not  report 
his  words  to  Tu-Kila-Kila  ? 

Ula  laughed  at  his  fears.  "Pooh,"  she  answered,  smil- 
ing. "  You  are  a  man ;  and  yet  you  are  afraid  of  a 
little  taboo.  I  am  a  woman  ;  and  yet  if  I  knew  the 
secret  as  you  do,  I  would  break  taboo  as  easily  as  I  would 


break  an  egg-shell. 


I  would  tell  the  white-faced  stranger 


all — if  only  it  would   bring   you   and   me    together  for- 


ever. 

"  It  is  a  great  risk,  a  very  great  risk,"  the  Shadow  an- 
swered, trembling.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  a  mighty  god.  He 
may  be  listening  this  moment,  and  may  pinch  us  to  death 
by  his  spirits  for  our  words,  or  burn  us  to  ashes  with  a 
flash  of  his  anger." 

The  woman  smiled  an  incredulous  smile.  "  If  you 
had  lived  as  near  Tu-Kila-Kila  as  I  have,"  slic  answered, 
boldly,  "you  would  think  as  little,  perhaps,  of  his  divinity 
as  I  do." 

For  even  in  Polynesia,  superstitious  as  it  is,  no  hero  is  a 
god  to  his  wives  or  his  valets. 


I  ! 


TITE   GREAT  TABOO, 


149 


CHAPTER    XXI, 


METHUSELAH     GIVES   SIGN. 


All  the  hopes  of  the  three  Europeans  were  concentrated 
now  on  the  bare  off-chance  of  a  passing  steamer.  M.  Pcy- 
ron  in  particular  was  fully  convinced  that,  if  the  Austral- 
asian had  found  tlic  inner  channel  practicable,  other  ships 
in  future  would  follow  hcrexamplc.  With  this  idea  firmly 
fixed  in  his  head,  he  arranged  with  Felix  that  one  or  other 
of  them  should  keep  watch  alternately  by  night  as  far  as 
possible;  and  he  also  undertook  that  a  canoe  should  con- 
stantly be  in  readiness  to  carry  them  away  to  the  suppos- 
ititious ship,  if  occasion  arose  for  it.  IMuriel  took  counsel 
with  Mali  on  the  question  of  rousii  g  the  Frenchman  if  a 
steamer  appeared,  and  they  were  tiie  first  to  sight  it ;  and 
Mali,  in  whom  renewed  intercourse  with  white  people  had 
restored  to  some  extent  the  civilized  C)ueensland  attitude 
of  mind,  readily  enough  promised  to  assist  in  their  scheme, 
provided  she  was  herself  taken  with  them,  and  so  relieved 
from  the  terrible  vengeance  which  would  otherwise  over- 
take her.  "If  Boupari  man  catch  me,"  she  said,  in  her 
simple,  graphic,  Polynesian  way,  *'  Boupari  man  kill  me, 
and  lay  me  in  leaves,  and  cook  me  very  nice,  and  make 
great  feast  of  me,  like  him  do  with  Jani."  From  that 
untimely  end  both  Felix  and  Muriel  promised  faithfully, 
as  far  as  in  them  lay,  to  protect  her. 

To  communicate  with  M.  Peyron  by  daytime,  without 
arousing  the  ever-wakeful  suspicion  of  the  natives,  Felix 
hit  upon  an  excellent  plan.  He  burnished  his  metal  match- 
box to  the  very  highest  polish  it  was  capable  of  taking, 
and  thenheliographed  by  means  of  sun-flashes  on  the  Morse 
code.  He  had  learned  the  code  in  Fiji  in  the  course  of 
his  official  duties  ;  and  he  taught  the  Frenchman  now 
readily  enough  how  to  read  and  reply  with  the  other  half 
of  the  box,  torn  off  for  the  purpose. 


■1; 


1    'I 


*■  !• 


HI 

i    i 


150 


TirP.   CREAT  TABOO. 


i  I 


m  \ 


■  I  ^v' 


It  was  three  or  four  days,  however,  before  the  two  Eng- 
lish wanderers  ventured  to  return  M.  Peyron's  visit.  They 
didn't  wish  to  attract  too  greatly  the  attention  of  the 
ishuiders.  Gradually,  as  their  stay  on  the  island  went  on, 
tlicy  learned  the  truth  that  Tu-Kila-Kila's  eyes,  as  he  him- 
self had  boasted,  were  literally  everywhere.  For  he  had 
spies  of  his  own,  told  off  in  every  direction,  who  dogged 
the  steps  of  his  victims  unseen.  Sometimes,  as  Felix  and 
Muriel  walked  unsuspecting  through  the  jungle  paths, 
closely  followed  by  their  Shadows,  a  stealthy  brown  figure, 
crouched  low  to  the  ground,  would  cross  the  road  for  a 
moment  behind  them,  and  disappear  again  noiselessly  into 
the  dense  mass  of  underbrush.  Then  Mali  or  Toko,  turn- 
ing round,  all  hushed,  with  a  terrified  look,  would  murmur 
low  to  themselves,  or  to  one  another,  "  There  goes  one  of 
th*^  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  "  It  was  only  by  slow  degrees 
that  this  system  of  espionage  grew  clear  to  the  strangers  ; 
but  as  soon  as  they  had  learned  its  reality  and  ubiquity, 
they  felt  at  once  how  undesirable  it  would  be  for  them  to 
excite  the  terrible  man-god's  jealousy  and  "Mspicion  by 
being  observed  too  often  in  close  personal  intercourse 
with  their  fellow-exile  and  victim,  the  Frenchman.  It 
was  this  that  made  them  have  recourse  to  the  device  of 
the  heliograph. 

So  three  or  four  days  passed  before  Muriel  dared  to 
approach  M.  Peyron's  cottage.  When  she  did  at  last  go 
tliere  with  Felix,  it  was  in  the  early  morning,  before  the 
fierce  tropical  sun,  that  beat  full  on  the  island,  had  begun 
to  exert  its  midday  force  and  power.  The  path  that  led 
there  lay  through  the  thick  and  tangled  mass  of  brush- 
wood which  covered  the  greater  part  of  the  island  with  its 
dense  vegetation  ;  it  was  overhung  by  huge  tree-ferns  and 
broad-leaved  Southern  bushes,  and  abutted  at  last  on  the 
little  wind-swept  knoll  where  the  King  of  the  Birds  had 
his  appropriate  dwelling-place.  The  Frenchman  received 
them  with  studied  Parisian  hospitality.  He  had  decorated 
his  arbor  with  fresh  flowers  for  the  occasion,  and  bright 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


iSi 


tropical  fruits,  witli  their  own  green  Icrives,  did  duty  for 
the  coffee  or  tlic  absinthe  of  his  fatherland  on  his  home- 
made rustic  tabic.  Yet  in  spite  of  all  t  le  rudeness  of  the 
physical  surroundingvS,  they  felt  themselves  at  home  again 
with  this  one  exiled  European  ;  the  faint  ilavor  of  civili- 
zation pervaded  and  permeated  the  FrenchniiMi'shut,  after 
the  unmixed  savagery  to  which  they  had  now  been  so  long 
accustomed. 

Muriel's  curiosity,  however,  centred  most  about  the  mys- 
terious old  parrot,  of  whose  strange  legend  so  much  had 
been  iaid  to  her.  After  they  had  sat  for  a  little  under 
the  shade  of  the  spreading  banyan,  to  cool  down  from  their 
walk — for  it  was  an  oppressive  morning — M.  Peyron 
led  her  round  to  his  aviary  at  the  back  of  the  hut, 
and  introduced  her,  by  their  native  names,  to  all  his  sub- 
jects, "  I  am  responsible  for  their  lives,"  he  said,  gravely, 
"for  their  welfare,  for  their  happiness.  If  I  were  to  let 
one  of  them  grow  old  without  a  successor  in  the  field  to 
follow  him  up  and  receive  his  soul — as  in  the  case  of  my 
friend  Methuselah  here,  who  was  so  neglected  by  my 
predecessors — the  whole  species  would  die  out  for  want  of 
a  spirit,  and  my  own  life  would  atone  for  that  of  my  peo- 
ple. There  you  have  the  central  principle  of  the  theology 
of  Boupari.  Every  race,  every  element,  every  power  of 
nature,  is  summed  up  for  Lhem  in  some  particular  person 
or  thing  ;  and  on  the  life  of  that  person  or  thing  depends, 
as  they  believe,  the  entire  health  of  the  species,  the  se- 
quence of  events,  the  whole  order  and  succession  of 
natural  phenomena." 

Felix  approached  the  mysterious  and  venerable  bird 
with  somewhat  incautious  fingers.  "It  looks  very  old," 
he  said,  trying  to  stroke  its  head  and  neck  witli  a  friendly 
gesture.     "  You  do  well,  indeed,  in  calling  it  Mcthuselali." 

As  he  spoke,  the  bird,  alarmed  at  the  vague  conscious- 
ness of  a  hand  and  voice  which  it  did  not  recognize,  and 
mindful  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  recent  attack,  made  a  vicious 
peck  at  the  finders  outstretched  to  caress  it,  "  Take  care ! " 


w  - 


'f 


r" 


HI 


i 


I! 


i!.!: 


152 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


the  Frenchman  cried,  in  a  warning  voice.  "The  patri- 
arch's temper  is  no  longer  what  it  was  sixty  or  seventy 
years  ago.  lie  grows  old  and  peevish.  His  humor  is 
soured.  He  will  sing  no  longer  the  lively  little  scraps  of 
Offenbach  I  have  taught  him.  He  does  nothing  but  sit 
still  and  mumble  now  in  his  own  forgotten  language. 
And  he's  dreadfully  cross— so  crabbed — mon  Dieu,  what  a 
character !  Why,  the  other  day,  as  I  told  you,  he  bit  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  himself,  the  high  god  of  the  island,  with  a  good 
hard  peck,,  when  that  savage  tried  to  touch  him;  you'd 
have  laughed  to  see  his  godship  sent  off  bleeding  to  his 
hut  with  a  wounded  finger  !  I  will  confess  I  was  by  no 
means  sorry  at  the  sight  myself.  I  do  not  love  that  god, 
nor  he  me  ;  and  I  was  glad  when  Methuselah,  on  whom  he 
is  afraid  to  revenge  himself  openly,  gave  him  a  nice  smart 
bite  for  trying  to  interfere  with  him." 

"  He's  very  snappish,  to  be  sure,"  Felix  said,  with  a 
smile,  trying  once  more  to  push  forward  one  hand  to 
stroke  the  bird  cautiously.  But  Methuselah  resented  all 
such  unauthorized  intrusions.  He  was  growing  too  old 
to  put  up  with  strangers.  He  made  a  second  vicious  at- 
tempt to  peck  at  the  hand  held  out  to  soothe  him,  and 
screamed,  as  he  did  so,  in  the  usual  discordant  and  un- 
pleasant voice  of  an  angry  or  frightened  parrot. 

"Why,  Felix,"  Muriel  put  in,  taking  him  by  the  arm 
with  a  girlish  gesture — for  even  the  terrors  by  which  they 
were  surrounded  hadn't  wholly  succeeded  in  killing  out 
the  woman  within  her — "  how  clumsy  you  are  !  You  don't 
understand  one  bit  how  to  manage  parrots.  I  had  a  par- 
rot of  my  own  at  my  aunt's  in  Australia,  and  I  know  their 
ways  and  all  about  them.  Just  let  me  try  him."  She  held 
out  her  soft  white  hand  toward  the  sulky  bird  with  a 
fearless,  caressing  gesture.  "  Pretty  Poll,  pretty  Poll !  " 
she  said,  in  English,  in  the  conventional  tone  of  address 
to  their  kind.  "  Did  the  naughty  man  go  and  frighten  her 
then  ?  Was  she  afraid  of  his  hand  ?  Did  Polly  want  ^ 
Jump  of  sugar?" 


itri- 
:nty 
r  is 
>s  of 
t  sit 
lagc. 
lat  a 
:Tii- 
good 
^'ou'd 
o  bis 
3y  no 
Lgod, 
)m  he 
smart 

vith  a 
ind  to 
ted  all 
oo  old 
us  at- 
[1,  and 
d  un- 


rrfE  CRi'.AT  r.inoo. 


153 


On  a  sudden  the  bird  opened  its  eyes  quickly  with  an 
awakened  air,  and  looked  her  back  in  the  face,  half  blind- 
ly, half  quizzingly.  It  preened  its  wings  for  a  second,  and 
crooned  with  pleasure.  Then  it  put  forward  its  neck, 
with  its  head  on  one  side,  took  her  dainty  finger  gently 
between  its  beak  and  tongue,  bit  it  for  pure  love  with  a 
soft,  short  pressure,  and  at  once  allowed  her  to  stroke  its 
back  and  sides  witii  a  very  pleased  and  surprised  expres- 


sion.    The  success  of  her  skill  flattered  Muriel. 


(( 


There ! 


it  knows  nie  !  "  she  cried,  with  childish  delight  ;  "it  under- 
stands I'm  a  friend!  It  takes  to  me  at  once !  Pretty  Poll  ! 
Pretty  Poll!     Come,  Poll,  come  and  kiss  me  ! '* 

The  bird  drew  back  at  tiie  words,  and  steadied  itself  for 
a  moment  knowingly  on  its  perch.  Then  it  held  up  its 
head,  gazed  around  it  witli  a  vacant  air,  as  if  suddenly 
awakened  from  a  very  long  sleep,  and,  opening  its  mouth, 
exclaimed  in  loud,  clear,  sharp,  and  distinct  tones — and  in 
English—"  Pretty  Poll  !  Pretty  Poll  !  Polly  wants  a  buss  ! 
Polly  wants  a  nice  sweet  bit  of  apple  !" 

For  a  moment  M.  Peyron  couldn't  imagine  what  had 
happened.  Felix  looked  at  Muriel.  Muriel  looked  at 
Felix.  The  Englishman  held  out  both  his  hands  to  her  in 
a  wild  fervor  of  surprise.  Muriel  took  them  in  her  own, 
and  looked  deep  into  his  eyes,  while  tears  rose  suddenly 
and  dropped  down  her  cheeks,  one  by  one,  unchecked. 
They  couldn't  say  why,  themselves  ;  they  didn't  know 
wherefore  ;  yet  this  unexpected  echo  of  their  own  tongue, 
in  the  mouth  of  that  strange  and  mysterious  bird,  thrilled 
through  them  instinctively  with  a  strange,  unearthly 
tremor.  In  some  dim  and  unexplained  v/ay,  they  felt  half 
unconsciously  to  themselves  that  this  discovery  was, 
perhaps,  the  first  clue  to  the  solution  of  the  terrible  secret 
whose  meshes  encompassed  them. 

M.  Peyron  looked  on  in  mute  astonishment.  He  had 
heard  the  bird  repeat  that  strange  jargon  so  often  that  it 
had  ceased  to  have  even  the  possibility  of  a  meaning  for 
him.     It  was  the  way  of  Methuselah — just  his  language 


t 

11 


i.    • 


¥-.  %     I 


III 


! 


•  * 


!i      1 


!'f! 


154 


T///':   GREAT  TABOO. 


that  he  talked;  so  harsh!  so  guttural!  "Pretty  Poll! 
Pretty  Pull !"  he  had  noticed  the  bird  harp  upon  those 
quaint  words  again  and  again.  They  were  part,  no  doubt, 
of  that  old  priinilive  and  forgotten  Pacific  language  tlie 
creature  had  learned  in  other  days  from  some  earlier 
bearer  of  the  name  and  gliastly  honors  of  Tu-Kila-Kila. 
Wiiy  should  these  English  seem  so  profoundly  moved  by 
them  ? 

"  Mademoiselle  doesn't  surely  understand  the  barbar- 
ous dialect  which  our  Methuselah  speaks  !  "  he  exclaimed 
in  surprise,  glancing  half  suspiciously  from  one  to  the 
other  of  these  incomprehensible  Britons.  Like  most  other 
Frenchmen,  he  had  been  brought  up  in  total  ignorance  of 
every  European  language  except  his  own  ;  and  the  words 
the  parrot  pronounced,  when  delivered  with  the  well- 
known  additions  of  parrot  harshness  and  parrot  volubility, 
seemed  to  him  so  inexpressibly  barbaric  in  their  clicks 
and  jerks  that  he  hadn't  yet  arrived  at  the  faintest  inkling 
of  the  truth  as  he  observed  their  emotion. 

Felix  seized  his  new  friend's  hand  in  his  and  wrung  it 
warmly.  "  Don't  you  see  what  it  is  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  half 
beside  himself  with  this  vague  hope  of  some  unknown 
solution.  "Don't  you  realize  how  the  thing  stands? 
Don't  you  guess  the  truth  ?  This  isn't  a  Polynesian  dialect 
at  all.  It's  our  own  mother  tongue.  The  bird  speaks 
English ! " 

"  English  ! "  M.  Peyron  replied,  with  incredulous  scorn. 
"What!  Methuselah  speak  English!  Oh,  no,  monsieur, 
impossible.  Votis  vous  trompeZyfen  suis  sdr,  I  can  never 
believe  it.  Those  harsh,  inarticulate  sounds  to  belong  to 
the  noble  language  of  Shaxper  and  Newtowne  !  Ah^  mon- 
siei/r,  incroyablc  I  vous  vous  trompez  ;  votes  vous  trompez  !  " 

As  he  spoke,  the  bird  put  its  head  on  one  side  once 
more,  and,  looking  out  of  its  half-blind  old  eyes  with  a 
crafty  glance  round  the  corner  at  Muriel,  observed  again, 
in  not  very  polite  Englisli,  "  Pretty  Poll !  Pretty  Poll ! 
polly  wants  some  fruit !  Polly  wants  a  ni»t  |    Polly  waixts 


Till-:   GREAT  TAIiOO. 


155 


roll  \ 

,  those 
doubt, 
,o-e  the 
earlier 
a-Kila. 
ived  by 

barbar- 
:hihncd 
to  the 
St  other 
:ance  of 
e  words 
le   well- 
.hibility, 
ir  clicks 
t  inkling 


to  go  to  bed  !  .  .  God  save  the  king  !  To  hell  with 
all  papists!  " 

"  Monsieur,"  Felix  said,  a  certain  solemn  feeling  of  sur- 
prise corning  over  him  slowly  at  this  last  strange  clause, 
"  it  is  perfectly  true.  The  bird  speaks  English.  The  bird 
that  knows  the  secret  of  which  we  are  all  in  search — the 
bird  that  can  tell  us  the  truth  about  Tu-Kila-Kila — can  tell 
us  in  tlie  tongue  which  mademoiselle  and  I  speak  as  our 
native  language.  And  what  is  more — and  more  strange — 
I  gather  from  his  tone  and  the  tenor  of  his  remarks,  he  was 
taught,  long  since — a  century  ago,  or  more — and  by  an 
Enijlish  sailor !" 

Muriel  held  out  a  bit  of  banana  on  a  sharp  stick  to  the 
bird.  ;Mcthusclah-Polly  took  it  gingerly  off  the  end,  like 
a  well-behaved  parrot  ?  "  God  save  the  king  !  "  Muriel 
said,  in  a  quiet  voice,  trying  to  draw  him  on  to  speak  a  lit- 
tle further. 

Methuselah  twisted  his  eye  sideways,  first  this  way,  then 
that,  and  responded  in  a  very  clear  tone,  indeed,  "  God 
save  the  king  !  Confound  the  Duke  of  York  !  Long  live 
Dr.  Gates  !     And  to  hell  with  all  papists  !  " 


\w. 


-:« 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


TANTALIZING,    VERY. 


They  looked  at  one  another  again  with  a  wild  surmise. 
The  voice  was  as  the  voice  of  some  long  past  age.  Could 
the  parrot  be  speaking  to  them  in  the  words  of  seven- 
teenth-century English  ? 

Even  M.  Peyron,  who  at  first  had  received  the  strange 
discovery  with  incredulity,  woke  up  before  long  to  the  im- 
portance of  this  sudden  and  unexpected  revelation.  The 
Tu-Kila-Kila  who  had  taught  Methuselah  that  long  poem 
or  sermon,  which  native  tradition  regarded  as  containing 
the  central  secret  of  their  creed  or  its  mysteries,  and  which 


i^i:  ! 


i\ 


156 


THE   GREAT  TABOU, 


{'>','• 


I  : 


;  i 


l«  1  lit      .     !  i 


i.  n 


llifii'iij 

Ml  m 


the  cruel  and  cunning  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  to-day  believed  to 
be  of  immense  importance  to  his  safety — that  Tu-Kila-Kihi 
of  other  days  was,  in  all  probability,  no  other  than  an  Eng- 
lish sailor.  Cast  on  these  shores,  perhaps,  as  they  them- 
selves had  been,  by  the  mercy  of  the  waves,  he  had  man- 
aged to  master  the  language  and  religion  of  the  savages 
among  whom  he  found  himself  tlirown  ;  he  had  risen  to 
be  the  representative  of  the  cannibal  god  ;  and,  during 
long  months  or  years  of  tedious  exile,  he  had  beguiled  his 
leisure  by  imparting  to  tlic  unconscious  ears  of  a  bird  the 
weird  secret  of  his  success,  for  the  benefit  of  any  others 
of  his  own  race  who  might  be  similarly  treated  by  fortune 
in  future.  Strange  and  romantic  as  it  all  sounded,  they 
could  hardly  doubt  now  tliat  this  was  the  real  explanation 
of  the  bird's  command  of  English  words.  One  problem 
alone  ren^ainedto  disturb  their  souls.  Was  the  bird  really 
in  possession  of  any  local  secret  and  mystery  at  all,  or  was 
this  the  whole  burden  of  the  message  he  had  brought  down 
across  the  vast  abvss  of  time — "  God  save  the  king,  and  to 
hell  with  all  papiw>ts  ? " 

Felix  turned  to  M.  Peyron  in  a  perfect  tumult  of  sus- 
pense. "  What  he  recites  is  long  ? "  he  said,  interroga- 
tively, with  profound  interest.  "You  have  heard  him  say 
much  more  than  this  at  times  ?  The  words  he  has  just 
uttered  are  not  those  of  the  sermon  or  poem  you  men- 
aoned?" 

M.  Peyron  opened  his  hands  expansively  before  him. 
"  Oh,  vwn  Dieiiy  no,  monsieur,"  he  answered,  with  effu- 
sion. "  You  should  hear  him  recite  it.  He's  never  done. 
It  is  whole  chapters — whole  chapters  ;  a  perfect  Henriade 
in  parrot-talk.  When  once  he  begins,  there's  no  possibil- 
ity of  checking  or  stopping  him.  On,  on  he  goes.  Fare- 
well to  the  rest  ;  he  insists  on  pouring  it  all  forth  to 
the  very  last  sentence.  Gabble,  gabble,  gabble  ;  chatter, 
chatter,  chatter  ;  pouf,  pouf,  pouf ;  bourn,  boum,  bourn  ; 
he  runs  ahead  eternally  in  one  long  discordant  sing-song 
monotone.     The  person  who  taught  him  must  have  taken 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


157 


ed  to 
i-Kila 
Eng" 
them- 
l  man- 
avagcs 
sen  to 
during 
iled  his 
)ird  the 
J  others 
fortune 

ed,  they 
lanation 
problem 
id  really 
[1,  or  was 
rht  down 
g,  and  to 

t  of  sus- 
nterroga- 
him  say 
has  just 
ou  men- 


entire  months  to  teach  him,  a  phrase  at  a  time,  paragraph 
by  paragraph.  It  is  wonderful  a  bird's  memory  could 
hold  so  much.  But  till  now,  taking  it  for  granted  lie 
spoke  only  some  wild  South  Paciiic  dialect,  I  never  paid 
much  attention  to  Methuselah's  vagaries." 

"  Hush.  He's  going  to  speak,"  Muriel  cried,  holding 
up,  in  alarm,  one  warning  fniger. 

And  the  bird,  his  tongue-strings  evidently  loosened  by 
the  strange  recurrence  after  so  many  years  of  those  famil- 
iar English  sounds,  "Pretty  Poll  !  Pretty  Poll !  "  opened 
his  mouth  again  in  a  loud  chuckle  of  delight,  and  cried, 
with  persistent  shrillness,  "God  save  the  king.!  A  fig  for 
all  arrant  knaves  and  roundheads  !" 

A  creepier  feeling  than  ever  came  over  tlic  two  Engiisli 
listeners  at  those  astounding  words.  "  Great  heavens  !  " 
Felix  exclaimed  to  the  unbuspecting  Frenchman,  "he 
speaks  in  the  style  of  the  Stuarts  and  the  Common- 
wealth !  " 

The  Frenchman  started.  "  Epoquc  Louis  Qiiatorzc  !  "  he 
murmured,  translating  the  date  mentally  into  his  own 
more  familiar  chronology.  "Two  centuric  since!  Oh, 
incredible  !  incredible  !  Methuselah  is  old,  but  not  quite 
so  much  of  a  patriarch  as  that.  Even  Humboldt's  parrot 
could  liardly  have  lived -for  two  hundred  years  in  the  wilds 
of  South  America." 

Felix  regarded  the  venerable  creature  with  a  look  of 
almost  superstitious  awe.  "  Facts  are  facts,"  he  answered 
shortly,  shutting  his  mouth  with  a  little  snap.  "  Unless 
this  bird  has  been  deliberately  taught  historical  details  in 
an  archaic  diction — and  a  shipwrecked  sailor  is  hardly 
likely  to  be  antiquarian  enough  to  conceive  such  an  idea 
— he  is  undoubtedly  a  survival  from  the  days  of  the  Com- 
monwealth or  tlie  Restoration.  And  you  say  he  runs  on 
with  his  tale  for  an  hour  at  a  time  !  Good  heavens,  what 
a  tliought !  I  wish  we  could  manage  to  start  him  now. 
Docs  he  begin  it  often  ?" 

"  Monsieur,"  the  Frenchman  answered,  "  when  I  came 


V; 


L. 

'  ;■'- 

THE   GREAT  TABOO. 

here  first,  though  Methuselah  was  already  very  old  and 
feeble,  he  was  not  quite  a  dotard,  and  he  used  to  recite  it  all 
every  morning  regularly.  That  was  the  hour,  I  suppose, 
at  which  the  master,  who  first  taught  him  this  lengthy 
recitation,  used  originally  to  impress  it  upon  him.  In 
those  days  his  sight  and  his  memory  were  far  more  clear 
than  now.  But  by  degrees,  since  my  arrival,  he  has 
grown  dull  and  stupid.  The  natives  tell  me  that  fifty  years 
ago,  while  he  was  already  old,  he  was  still  bright  and 
lively,  and  would  recite  the  whole  poem  whenever  any- 
body presented  him  with  his  greatest  dainty,  the  claw  of 
a  moora-crab.  Nowadays,  however,  when  he  can  hardly 
eat,  and  hardly  mumble,  he  is  much  less  persistent  and 
less  coherent  than  formerly.  To  say  the  truth,  I  have 
discouraged  him  in  his  efforts,  because  his  pertinacity  an- 
noyed me.  So  now  he  seldom  gets  through  all  his  lesson 
at  one  bout,  as  he  used  to  do  at  the  beginning.  The  best 
way  to  get  him  on  is  for  me  to  sing  him  one  of  my  French 
songs.  That  seems  to  excite  him,  or  to  rouse  him  ro 
rivalry.  Then  he  will  put  his  head  on  one  side,  listen 
critically  for  a  while,  smile  a  superior  smile,  and  finally 
begin — jabber,  jabber,  jabber — trying  to  talk  me  down,  as 
if  I  were  a  brother  parrot." 

"  Oh,  do  sing  now  !"  ivluriel  cried,  with  intense  persua- 
sion in  her  voice.  ''  I  do  so  want  to  hear  it."  She  meant, 
of  course,  the  parrot's  story. 

Bi't  the  Frenchman  bowed,  and  laid  his  hand  on  his 
lieai  t.  "  Ah,  mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "  your  wish  is  almost 
a  royal  command.  And  yet,  do  you  know,  it  is  so  long 
since  I  have  sung,  except  to  please  myself — my  music  is 
so  rusty,  old  pieces  you  have  heard — I  have  no  accompa- 
niment, no  score — mats  enfin^  we  are  all  so  far  from  Paris  !" 

Muriel  didn't  dare  to  undeceive  him  as  to  her  meaning, 
lest  he  should  refuse  to  sing  in  real  earnest,  and  the 
chance  of  learning  the  parrot's  secret  might  slip  by  them 
irretrievably.  "Oh,  monsieur,"  she  cried,  fitting  herself 
to  his  humor  at  once,  and  speaking  as  ceremoniously  as  if 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


159 


and 
I  it  all 
)pose, 
ngthy 
1.     In 

clear 
ic   has 
;■  years 
It  and 
r  any- 
claw  of 
hardly 
;nt  and 
I  have 
city  an- 
s  lesson 
rhe  best 
r  French 

him  to 
e,  listen 
finally 

own,  as 


she  were  assisting  at  a  musical  party  in  the  Avenue  Victor 
Hugo,  "  don't  decline,  I  beg  of  you,  on  those  accounts. 
We  are  both  most  anxious  to  hear  your  song.  Don't  dis- 
appoint us,  pray.     Please  begin  immediately." 

"  Ah,  mademoiselle,"  the  Frenchman  said,  "  who  could 
resist  such  an  appeal?  You  are  altogether  too  flattering." 
And  tlien,  in  the  same  cheery  voice  that  Felix  had  heard 
on  the  first  day  he  visited  the  King  of  Birds'  hut,  M.  Pey- 
ron  began,  in  very  decent  style,  to  pour  forth  the  merry 
sounds  of  his  rollicking  song  : 

"Quand  on  conspi-re,  * 

Ouand  .ans  frayeur 
On  pent  se  di-re 

Conspirateur — 
Pour  tout  le  mon-de 

II  faut  avoir 
Perruque  blon-de 

Et  collet  noir.' 

He  had  hardly  got  as  far  as  the  end  of  the  first  stanza, 
however,  when  Methuselah,  listening,  with  his  ear  cocked 
up  most  knowingly,  to  the  Frenchman's  song,  raised  liis 
liead  in  opposition,  and,  sitting  bolt  upright  on  his  perch, 
began  to  scream  forth  a  voluble  stream  of  words  in  one 
unbroken  flood,  so  fast  that  Muriel  could  hardly  follow 
tliem.  The  bird  spoke  in  a  thick  and  very  harsh  voice, 
and,  what  was  more  remarkable  still,  with  a  distinct  and 
extremely  peculiar  North  Country  accent.  "  In  the  nine- 
teenth year  of  the  reign  of  his  most  gracious  majesty, 
King  Charles  the  Second,"  he  blurted  out,  viciously,  with 
an  angry  look  at  the  Frenchman,  "  I,  Nathaniel  Cross,  of 
the  borough  of  Sunderland,  in  the  county  of  Doorham,  in 
England,  an  able-bodied  mariner,  then  sailing  the  South 
Seas  in  the  good  bark  Martyr  Prince,  of  the  Port  of  Great 
Grimsby,  whereof  one  Thomas  Wells,  gent.,  under  God, 
was  master " 

'*  Oh,  hush,  hush ! "  Muriel  cried,  unable  to  catch  the 
parrot's  precious  words  through  the  emulous  echo  of  the 


VA 


!li 


i    ' 


H 


i6o 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


■t     I  i 


fiii  ,     ^it 


r;ioi 


J  \ 


lit 


'! 


Frenchman's  music.  "  Wliercof  one  Thomas  Wells,  gent., 
under  God,  was  master — go  on,  Polly." 

*'  Perruque  blonde 

Et  collet  noir," 

the  Frenchman  repeated,  with  a  half-offended  voice,  finish- 
iiifif  his  stanza. 

But  just  as  he  stopped,  Methuselah  stopped  too,  and, 
throwing  back  his  head  in  tlie  air  with  a  triumphant  look, 
stared  hard  at  his  vanquished  and  silenced  opponent  out 
of  those  blinking  gray  eyes  of  his.  "  I  thought  I'd  be  too 
much  for  you  !  "  he  seemed  to  say,  wrathfuUy. 

"Whereof  one  Thomas  Wells,  gent.,  under  God,  was 
master,"  Muriel  suggested  again,  all  agog  with  excitement. 
"Go  on,  good  bird  !     Go  on,  pretty  Polly." 

But  Methuselah  was  evidently  put  off  the  scent  now  by 
tlic  unseasonable  interruption.  Instead  of  continuing,  he 
threw  back  his  head  a  second  time  with  a  triumphant  air 
and  laughed  aloud  boisterously.  "  Pretty  Polly,"  he  cried. 
*'  Pretty  Polly  wants  a  nut.  Tu-Kila-Kila  maroo !  Pretty 
Poll!     Pretty  Polly  !  " 

"Sing  again,  for  Heaven's  sake!"  Felix  exclaimed,  in 
a  profoundly  agitated  mood,  explaining  briefly  to  the 
Frenchman  the  full  significance  of  the  words  Methuselah 
had  just  begun  to  utter. 

The  Frenchman  struck  up  his  tune  afresh  to  give  the 
bird  a  start  ;  but  all  to  no  avail.  Methuselah  was  evidently 
in  no  humor  for  talking  just  then.  He  listened  with  a 
callous,  uncritical  air,  bringing  his  white  eyelids  down 
slowly  and  sleepily  over  his  bleared  gray  eyep.  Tlien  lie 
nodded  his  head  slowly.  "  No  use,"  the  Frenchman  mur- 
mured, pursing  his  lips  up  gravely.  "The  bird  won't 
talk.  It's  going  off  to  sleep  now.  Methuselah  gets  visibly 
older  every  day,  monsieur  and  mademoiselle.  You  are 
only  just  in  time  to  catch  his  last  accents." 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


I6l 


K^ 


^ent, 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


finish- 

3,  and, 
:.  look, 
mt  out 
be  too 

)d,  was 

temcnt. 

now  by 
.ling,  be 
lant  air 
le  cried. 
Pretty 

Amed,  in 
to   tbe 
;buselah 

Q-ive  the 
evidently 
d  with  a 
ds  down 
Then  he 
nan  mur- 
rd  won't 
ts  visibly 
You  are 


A    MESSAGE    FROM    THE    DEAD, 

Early  next  morning,  as  Felix  lay  still  in  his  hut,  dozing, 
and  just  vaguely  conscious  of  a  buzz  of  a  mosquito  close 
to  his  ear,  he  was  aroused  by  a  sudden  loud  cry  outside — 
a  cry  that  called  his  native  name  three  times,  running  : 
"  O  King  of  the  Rain,  King  of  the  Rain,  King  of  the  Rain, 
awake  !  High  time  to  be  up  !  The  King  of  the  Birds 
sends  you  health  and  greeting !  " 

Felix  rose  at  once  ;  and  his  Shadow,  rising  before  him, 
and  unbolting  the  loose  wooden  fastener  of  the  door,  went 
out  in  haste  to  see  who  called  beyond  the  white  taboo-line 
of  their  sacred  precincts. 

A  native  woman,  tall,  lithe,  and  handsome,  stood  there 
in  the  full  light  of  morning,  beckoning.  A  strange  glow 
of  hatred  gleamed  in  her  large  gray  eyes.  Her  shapely 
brown  bosom  heaved  and  panted  heavily.  Big  beads  glist- 
ened moistly  on  her  smooth,  high  brow.  It  was  clear  she 
had  run  all  the  way  in  haste.  She  was  deeply  excited  and 
full  of  eager  anxiety. 

"Why,  what  do  you  want  here  so  early,  Ula?"  the 
Sliadow  asked,  in  surprise — for  it  was  indeed  she.  "  How 
have  you  slipped  away,  as  soon  as  the  sun  is  risen,  from 
tlie  sacred  hut  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  ?  " 

"  Ula's  gray  eyes  flashed  angry  fire  as  she  answered.  "  He 
has  beaten  me  again,"  she  cried,  in  revengeful  tones  ;  *'sce 
the  weals  on  my  back  !  See  m/  arms  and  shoulders  !  He 
has  drawn  blood  from  my  wounds.  He  is  the  most 
liatcful  of  gods.  I  should  love  to  kill  him.  Therefore  I 
slipped  away  from  him  with  the  early  dawn  and  came  to 
consult  with  his  enemy,  the  King  of  the  Birds,  because  I 
heard  the  words  that  the  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who  per- 
vade the  world,  report  to  their  master.  The  Eyes  have 
II 


if 


I  '* 


^''■'  i 


ill 


II   !i 


I 


liill 


Hi 


11 

■J    ! 


162 


T//E   GREAT  TABGO. 


told  him  that  tlie  King  of  the  Rain,  the  Queen  of  the 
Clouds,  and  the  King  of  the  Birds  are  plotting  together  in 
secret  against  Tu-Kila-Kila.  When  I  heard  that,  I  was 
glad  ;  I  went  to  the  King  of  the  Birds  to  warn  him  of  his 
danger ;  and  tlie  King  of  the  Birds,  concerned  for  your 
safety,  has  sent  me  in  haste  to  ask  his  brother  gods  to  go 
at  once  to  him. 

In  a  minute  Felix  was  up  and  had  called  out  Mali  from 
the  neighboring  hut.  "Tell  Missy  Queenic,"  he  cried,  "to 
come  with  me  to  see  the  man-a-oui-oui  !  The  man-a-oui- 
oui  has  sent  me  for  us  to  come.  She  must  make  great 
haste.     He*  wants  us  immediately." 

With  a  word  and  a  sign  to  Toko,  Ula  glided  away 
stealthily,  with  the  cat-like  tread  of  the  native  Polynesian 
woman,  back  to  her  hated  husband, 

Felix  went  out  to  the  door  and  heliographed  with  his 
bright  metal  plate,  turned  on  the  Frenchman's  hill,  "What 
is  it  ?  " 

In  a  moment  the  answer  flashed  back,  word  by  word, 
"  Come  quick,  if  you  want  to  hear.  Methuselah  is  re- 
citing ! " 

A  few  seconds  later  Muriel  emerged  from  her  hut,  and 
the  two  Europeans,  closely  followed,  as  always,  by  their 
inseparable  Shadows,  took  the  winding  side-path  that  led 
through  the  jungle  by  a  devious  way,  avoiding  the  front 
of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  temple,  to  the  Frenchman's  cottage. 

They  found  M.  Peyron  very  much  excited,  partly  by 
Ula's  news  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  attitude,  but  more   still  by 


Methuselah's     agitated    condition.      "  Tlie    whole 


night 


through,  my  dear  friends,"  he  cried,  seizing  their  hands, 
•'  that  bird  has  been  chattering,  chattering,  chattering. 
Oh^  mo7i  Diai^  quel  oiseau  !  It  seems  as  though  the  words 
heard  yesterday  from  mademoiselle  had  struck  some  lost 
chord  in  the  creature's  memory.  But  he  is  also  very  feeble. 
I  can  see  that  well.  His  garrulity  is  the  garrulity  of  old  age 
in  its  last  flickering  moments.  He  mumbles  and  muttera 
He  chuckles  to  himself.     If  you  don't  hear  his  message 


Tin:  GREAT  taHoo. 


iCa 


now  and  at  once,  it's  my  solemn  conviction  you  will  never 

lear  it. 

He  led  them  out  to  the  aviary,  where  Methuselah,  in  ef- 
fect, was  sitting  on  his  pcrcli,  most  tremulous  and  wocbc- 
i^one.  His  feathers  shuddered  visibly  ;  he  could  no  lunger 
preen  himself.  "Listen  to  what  he  says,"  the  Frenchman 
exclaimed,  in  a  very  serious  voice.  "  It  is  your  last,  last 
chance.  Tf  the  secret  is  ever  to  be  unravelled  at  all,  by 
Methuselah's  aid,  now  is,  without  doubt,  the  proper  mo- 
ment to  unravel  it." 

Muriel  put  out  her  hand  and  stroked  the  bird  gently. 
"  Pretty  Poll,"  she  said,  soothingly,  in  a  sympathetic  voice. 
"  Pretty  Poll  !  Poor  Poll  !  Was  he  ill  !  Was  he  suffer- 
ing ? " 

'  At  the  sound  of  those  familiar  words,  unheard  so  long 
till  yesterday,  the  parrot  took  her  finger  in  his  beak  once 
more,  and  bit  it  with  the  tenderness  of  his  kind  in  their 
softer  moments.  Then  he  threw  back  his  head  with  a  sort 
of  mechanical  twist,  and  screamed  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
for  the  last  time  on  earth,  his  mysterious  message  : 

"  Pretty  Poll  !  Pretty  Poll  !  God  save  the  king  !  Con- 
found the  Duke  of  York  !  Death  to  all  arrant  knaves  and 
roundheads ! 

"  In  the  nineteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  his  most  gracious 
majesty,  King  Charles  the  Second,  I,  Nathaniel  Cross,  of 
the  borough  of  Sunderland,  in  the  county  of  Doorham,  in 
EnQ:land,  an  able-bodied  mariner,  then  sailim^f  the  Soulli 
Seas  in  the  good  bark  Martyr  Prince,  of  the  Port  of  Great 
Grimsby,  whereof  one  Thomas  Wells,  gent.,  under  God, 
was  master,  was,  by  stress  of  weather,  wrecked  and  cast 
away  on  the  shores  of  this  island,  called  by  its  gentile  in- 
habitants by  the  name  of  Boo  Parry.  In  which  wreck,  as 
it  befell,  Thomas  Wells,  gent.,  and  his  equipment  were,  by 
divine  disposition,  killed  and  drowned,  save  and  except 
three  mariners,  whereof  I  am  one,  who  in  God's  good  pro- 
vidence swam  safely  through  an  exceeding  great  flood  of 
waves  and  landed  at  laast  on  this  island.     There  my  two 


•t 


\  h 


:.! 


i 


ill 

i 

1       1   . 

■  1 

1 

,  \, 

i        ': 

.      Hill* 

■  ( 
i. 

; 

1        '1 

( 
J 

'i 

; 

l"i 


\:\ 


i 


Eii 


!        'Mi' 


* 


164 


7^/7.5  ^/?^^7^  r/1^^^. 


Lnpanions,  Owen  «-  "^Sw-^^^^^^^ 
Wales,  and  Lewis  le  Pickard,  a  t  ren  j.^^ted,  and 

^  :t  once,  by  the  said  S-^  '^^  ~c  cemple  of  their 
,ftcr  great  torture  ^""^'^'^fV^'^rmyseU,  having  through 
<,Vu/god,  Too-Keela-Kce  a     But  I      y^^^^    ^^^^^^,  ,„  ,, 
Gcd-s  grace  found  favor  m  tUe^r  ey  ^^^^  ^^^^^^  „j 

,,„st  winch  in  their  =P««<=^  ^^^^^^ Vu  uereafter,  to  your  ears, 
Ivl.ich  this  bird,  my  mouthpiece,  w 

„„,e  fully  discover."  ^,,y^  Methuselah 

Ilavins:.  said  so  much,  m  a  very  j 
pi.  andblinUedhlseyeswear^^^^^^^       ^^^^^_  ^^^^^  ,, 

.  What  does  he  say  ?       he  ^  ^       interruption 

know  the  truth.     But  Fel«  f^u      ^,^^^^^^^  ^^^^ 
,„igUt  break  the  f  f  ^^^  °^  f  ^ '„i„g  finger,  and  then  laid 
them  of  the  sequel,  h<=  <!  "P;  '^^™  Methuselah  threw  back 

t  on  his  lips  in  mute  '"1""^ °"  ,   \  ^od  save  the  king  ! 
;:•„  ,ead  at  that  -'^^'^f  ^^^tay,  "  and  to  hell  with  all 

lie  cried  again,  in  a  stiu 

P"pi=«  '• "  ,        .v,.v  rtU  hung  on  the  words  of  that 

It  was  strange  how  they  a^l  hu  g^  ^_^^  ^^^^  ,,, 

unconscious  '"^ssenger    rom  a  ^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^ 

,,taself  knew  nothing  -«  '^;'"J,,,eir  earnestness,  shook 
uttering.     Methuselah  laughed .  ^^  ^^.^^  ^^      ^^^^f^ 

¥it::^:-nfrsJ  the  point  he  had  bro^ 

at.  K„r  seven  years  have  I  now  lived 

..  More  fully  discover.     For  se       y        ^^^^.^^.^^^  j^,, 
on  this  island,  "-er  having  s  en  o        ,       ^^^  ^^^^^^,^  ^^^,^ 
voice  -.and  at  the  <=ad  o  tha   um       ^    j^n,,,.eountrpiaen 
and  being  -VV''''-''''T"}y^^^l  fate  as  I  have  done,  I  bc- 

'^--''  rt^  t^  --^^'  ^  ^^^'  ^"'^  "  ^  ""' 

Q-an  to  teach  tms  P^i'  ,  .    ^lemory. 

^pressing  it  duly  and  fu  ly  o"  h is  ^^  ^^^ 

.'Lam,  then,  O  ^^^^y!"" ',Shens,  and  canibals.  And 
,,e  most  arrant  S-  J";  f.f.nd  method  of  their  vile 
this,  as  I  discover,  -  f  ^^^^^.^  .^e  each  and  several  in- 
faith.    They  hold  that  tn«-  b  . 


TIIE  GREAT  TABOO. 


165 


:ts  oi 
ugee, 
I,  and 
their 
rougli 
to  the 
:ure  of 
ir  ears, 

luselah 

jager  to 
■ruption 
id  cheat 
hen  laid 
•e\v  back 
e  king '. " 
1  with  all 

is  of  that 
age,  who 
ds  he  was 
ess,  shook 
o  himself. 
brckcA  off 


carnate  in  some  one  particular  human  being.  This  human 
being  they  worship  and  reverence  with  all  ghostly  respect 
as  his  incarnation.  And  chiefly,  above  all,  do  they  revere 
the  great  god  Too-Keela-Keela,  whose  representative 
(may  the  Lord  in  Heaven  forgive  me  for  the  same)  I  my- 
self am  at  this  present  speaking.  Having  thus,  for  my 
sins,  attained  to  that  impious  honor. 

"  God  save  the  king  !  Confound  the  Duke  of  York  ! 
To  hell  with  all  papists  ! 

"  It  is  the  fasliion  of  this  people  to  hold  that  their  gods 
must  always  be  strong  and  lusty.  For  they  argue  to  them- 
selves thus  :  that  the  continuance  of  the  rain  must  needs 
depend  upon  the  vigor  and  subtlety  of  its  Soul,  the  rain- 
god.  So  the  continuance  and  fruitfulncss  of  the  trees  and 
plants  which  yield  them  food  must  needs  depend  upon 
the  health  of  the  tree-god.  And  the  life  of  the  world,  and 
the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the  well-being  of  all  things  that  in 
them  are,  must  depend  upon  the  strength  and  cunning  of 
the  high  god  of  all,  Too-Keela-Keela.  Hence  they  take 
great  care  and  woorship  of  their  gods,  surrounding  them 
with  many  rules  which  they  call  Taboo,  and  restricting 
them  as  to  what  they  shall  eat,  and  what  drink,  and  where' 
withal  they  shall  seemly  clothe  themselves.  For  they 
think  that  if  the  King  of  the  Rain  at'  anything  that  might 
cause  the  colick,  or  like  humor  or  distemper,  the  weather 
will  thereafter  be  stormy  and  tempestuous  ;  but  so  long 
as  the  King  of  the  Rain  fares  well  and  retains  his  health, 
so  long  will  the  weather  over  their  island  of  Boo  Parry  be 
clear  and  prosperous. 

"Furthermore,  as  I  have  larned  from  their  theologians, 
being  myself,  indeed,  the  greatest  of  their  gods,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  they  may  not  let  any  god  die,  lest  that  depart- 
ment of  nature  over  which  he  presideth  should  wither 
away  and  feail,  as  it  were,  with  him.  But  reasonably  no 
care  that  mortal  man  can  exercise  will  prevent  the  possi- 
bility of  their  god — seeing  he  is  but  one  of  themselves — 
growing  old  and  feeble  and  dying  at  laast.    To  prevent 


■' .. 


|i' 


I" 


i!  >i' 


'i  ; 

if 
■  r 

\\ 

1  t 
I   ! 


I  ■  1 


III 


1 66 


TIIR  GREAT  TABOO. 


i    f    ! 


!!!; 


which  calamity,  these  gentile  {(AV.  have  invented  (as  I  be- 
lieve by  the  aid  and  device  of  Sutlian)  this  horrid  and 
most  onnatural  practice.  Tiie  man-god  must  be  killed  so 
soon  as  he  showetii  in  body  or  mind  that  his  native  powers 
arc  beginning  to  feail.  And  it  is  necessary  that  he  be 
killed,  according  to  their  faitii,  in  this  ensuing  fashion. 

"  If  the  man-god  were  to  die  slowly  by  a  death  in  the 
course  of  nature,  the  ways  of  the  world  might  be  stopped 
altogether.  Hence  these  savages  catch  the  soul  of  their 
god,  as  it  were,  ere  it  grow  old  and  feeble,  and  transfer  it 
betimes,  by  a  magic  device,  to  a  suitable  successor.  And 
surely,  they  say,  this  suitable  successor  can  be  none  other 
than  him  that  is  able  to  take  it  from  him.  This,  then,  is 
their  horrid  counsel  and  device — that  each  one  of  their 
gods  should  kill  his  antecessor.  In  doi.  ;  thus,  he  taketh 
the  old  god's  life  and  soul,  which  thereupon  migrates  and 
dwells  within  him.  And  by  this  tenure — may  Heaven  be 
merciful  to  me,  a  sinner — do  I,  Nathaniel  Cross,  of  the 
county  of  Doorham,  now  hold  this  dignity  of  Too-Keela- 
Keela,  having  slain,  therefor,  in  just  quarrel,  my  ante- 
cessor in  the  high  godship." 

As  he  reached  these  words  Methuselah  paused,  and 
choked  in  his  throat  slightly.  The  mere  mechanical  effort 
of  continuing  the  speech  he  had  learned  by  heart  two 
liundred  years  before,  and  repeated  so  often  since  that  it 
had  become  part  of  his  being,  was  now  almost  too  much 
for  him.  The  Frenchman  was  right.  They  were  only 
jusc  in  time.  A  few  days  later,  and  the  secret  would  have 
died  with  the  bird  that  preserved  it. 


:? 


THE   LIRE  AT  TABOO, 


167 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


AN  UNFINISHED  TALE. 


For  a  minute  or  two  Methuselah  mumbled  inarticuhitely 
to  liimself.  Tlien,  to  their  hitense  discomfiture,  he  began 
or.ce  more  :  "In  the  nineteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  liis 
most  gracious  majesty,  King  Charles  the  Second,  I, 
Nathaniel  Cross " 

"Oh,  this  will  never  do,"  Felix  cried.  "We  haven't 
got  yet  to  the  secret  at  all.  Muriel,  do  try  to  set  him 
riirht.  lie  must  waste  no  breath.  We  can't  afford  now  to 
let  him  go  all  over  it." 

Muriel  stretched  out  her  hand  and  soothed  the  bird 
gently  as  before.  "Having  slain,  therefore,  my  predeces- 
sor in  the  high  godship,"  she  suggested,  in  the  same  sing- 
song voice  as  the  parrot's. 

To  her  immense  relief,  Methuselah  took  the  hint  with 
charming  docility. 

"  In  the  high  godship,"  he  went  on,  mechanically,  where 
lie  had  stopped.  "  And  this  here  is  the  manner  whereby 
I  obtained  it.  The  Too-Keela-Keela  from  time  to  time 
doth  generally  appoint  any  castaway  stranger  that  comes 
to  the  island  to  the  post  of  Korong — that  is  to  say,  an  an- 
nual god  or  victim.  For,  as  the  year  doth  renew  itself  at 
each  change  of  seasons,  so  do  these  carribals  in  their  gen- 
tilisme  believe  and  hold  that  the  gods  of  the  seasons — to 
wit,  the  King  of  the  Rain,  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  the 
Lord  of  Green  Leaves,  the  King  of  Fruits,  and  others — 
must  needs  be  sleain  and  renewed  at  the  diverse  solstices. 
Now,  it  so  happened  that  I,  on  my  arrival  in  tlie  island, 
was  appointed  Korong,  and  promoted  to  the  post  of 
King  of  the  Rain,  having  a  native  woman  assigned  me 
as  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  with  whom  I  might  keep  company. 
This  woman  being,  after  her  kind,  enamored  of  me,  and 
anxious  to  escape  her  own  fate,  to  be  sleain  by  my  side, 


sag 


i68 


THE  GREAT  TABOO. 


t  ■  I 


'I     1. 


i  \ 


n 


■:     i   . 


I 


did  betray  to  mc  that  secret  which  they  cull  in  theii 
tuiigiie  the  (rreat  Taboo,  and  wiiicli  liad  been  betrayed  to 
herself  in  turn  by  a  native  man,  her  former  lover.  For 
the  men  are  instructed  in  these  things  in  the  mysteries 
Avhcn  they  coom  of  age,  but  not  the  women. 

"  And  the  Great  Taboo  is  this  :  No  man  can  becoom  a 
Too-Keela-Keela  unless  he  first  sleay  the  man  in  whom 
the  liigh  god  is  incarnate  for  the  moment.  But  in  order 
that  he  may  sleay  him,  he  must  also  himself  be  a  full 
Korong,  only  those  persons  who  arc  already  gods  being 
capable  for  the  highest  post  in  their  hierarchy  ;  even  as 
with  ourselves,  none  but  he  that  is  a  deacon  may  become 
a  priest,  and  none  but  he  that  is  a  priest  may  be  made  a 
bishop.  For  this  reason,  then,  the  Too-Kecla-Keela  pre- 
fers to  advance  a  stranger  to  the  post  of  Korong,  seeing 
that  such  a  pers(jn  will  not  have  been  initiated  in  the  mys- 
teries of  the  island,  and  therefore  will  not  be  aware  of 
those  sundry  steps  which  must  needs  be  taken  of  him  that 
would  inherit  the  godship. 

"  Furthermore,  even  a  Korong  can  only  obtain  the  high- 
est rank  of  Too-Kcela-Keela  if  he  order  all  things  accord- 
ing to  the  forms  and  ceremonies  of  the  Taboo  parfectly. 
For  these  gentiles  are  very  careful  of  the  levitical  parts  of 
their  religion,  deriving  the  same,  as  it  seems  to  me,  from 
the  polity  of  the  Hebrews,  the  fame  of  whose  tabernacle 
must  sure  have  gone  forth  through  the  ends  of  the  woorld, 
and  the  knowledge  of  whose  temple  must  have  been  yet 
more  wide  dispersed  by  Solomon,  his  sliips,  when  they 
came  into  these  parts  to  fetch  gold  from  Ophir.  And  the 
ceremony  is,  that  before  any  man  may  sleay  the  'arthly 
tenement  of  Too-Kcela-Keela  and  inherit  his  soul,  which 
is  in  very  truth,  as  they  do  think  the  god  himself,  he 
must  needs  fight  with  the  person  in  whom  Too-Keela-Keela 
doth  then  dwell,  and  for  this  reason  :  If  the  holder  of  the 
soul  can  defend  himself  in  fight,  then  it  is  clear  that  his 
strength  is  not  one  whit  decayed,  nor  is  his  vigor  feailing ; 
nor  yet  has  his  assaihuit  been  able  to  take  his  soul  from 


THE   GREAT   /'A BOO, 


169 


tlicll 
;d   to 
For 
terlcs 

3oni  a 
wlion^ 

order 
II   full 

being 
vcn  as 
3CComc 
made  a 
ila  pi'c- 

seeing 
ho  mys- 
Avarc  of 
iiim  that 

lie  high- 
accord- 

arfcctly. 
parts  of 
11c,  from 
bcrnacle 
3  woorld, 
been  yet 
hen  they 
And  the 
e  'artbly 
ul,  which 
self,  he 
ela-Keela 

er  of  the 

that  his 

feailing ; 

oul  from 


him.  But  if  the  Korong  in  open  fight  do  sicay  the  person 
in  whom  Too-Kcelu-Keela  dwells,  he  becometii  at  once  a 
Too-Keela-Keela  himself — that  is  to  say,  in  their  tongue, 
the  Lord  of  Lords,  because  he  hath  tiiken  the  life  of  him 
that  preceded  him. 

"Yet  so  intricate  is  tlie  theology  and  practice  of  these 
loathsome  savages,  that  not  even  now  have  I  explained  it 
in  full  to  you,  O  shipwrecked  mariner,  for  your  aid  and 
protection.  For  a  Korong,  though  it  be  a  part  of  his  privi- 
lege to  contend,  if  he  will,  with  Too-Kcelu-Kcela  for  the 
high  godship  and  princedom  of  this  isle,  may  only  do  so  at 
certain  appointed  times,  places,  and  seasons.  Above  all 
things,  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  first  find  out  the  hid- 
ing-place of  the  soul  of  Too-Keela-Keela.  For  though  the 
Too-Keela-Keela  fur  the  time  that  is,  be  animated  by  the 
god,  yet,  for  greater  security,  he  doth  not  keep  his  soul  in 
his  own  body,  but,  being  above  all  things  the  god  of  fruit- 
fuliicss  and  generation,  who  causes  women  to  bear  chil- 
thcn,  and  the  plant  called  taro  to  bring  forth  its  increase, 
he  keepeth  his  soul  in  the  great  sacred  tree  behind  his 
temple,  which  is  thus  the  Father  of  All  Trees,  and  the 
chiefest  abode  of  the  great  god  Too-Keela-Keela. 

"Nor  does  Too-Keela-Keela's  soul  abide  equally  in  every 
part  of  this  aforesaid  tree  ;  but  in  a  certain  bough  of  it,  re- 
sembling a  mistletoe,  which  hath  yellow  leaves,  and,  being 
broken  off,  groweth  ever  green  and  yellow  afresh  ;  which 
is  tlie  central  mystery  of  all  their  Sathanic  religion.  For 
in  this  very  bough — easy  to  be  discerned  by  the  eye  among 
the  green  leaves  of  the  tree — "  the  bird  paused  and  fal- 
tered. 

Muriel  leaned  forward  in  an  agony  of  excitement. 
"  Among  the  green  leaves  of  the  tree — "  she  went  on  sooth- 
ing him. 

Her  voice  seemed  to  give  the  parrot  a  fresh  impulse  to 
speak.  " — Is  contained,  as  it  were,"  he  continued,  feebly, 
"the  divine  essence  itself,  the  soul  and  life  of  Too-Keela- 
Keela.    Whoever,  then,  being  a  full  Korong,  breaks  this 


III 

I. 


It 


r 


■■ 


170 


TIIR   GREAT  TABOO, 


■F      , 


\\ 


! 


«* 


il  \   i 


III  :i! 

lit  i' 


H 


m 

Ml  i 


1 

■    J 

i 

j 

i 

i 

i 

1 

'       H*l 

i 

•iiil 


i 


Ml 


\ 


(jff,  hath  tluis  possessed  himself  of  the  very  god  in  person. 
This,  liowever,  he  must  do  by  exceeding  stealth  ;  lorToo- 
Kechi-Keela,  or  rather  tlie  man  tliat  bears  that  name,  be- 
ing the  guardian  and  defender  of  the  great  god,  walks 
ever  up  and  down,  by  day  and  by  night,  in  exceeding 
great  cunning,  aimed  with  a  spear  and  with  a  hatchet  of 
stone,  around  the  root  of  the  tree,  watching  jealously  over 
tiie  branch  which  is,  as  lie  believes,  his  own  soul  and  being. 
I,  tlicreforc,  being  warned  of  the  Taboo  by  tlie  woman 
that  was  my  consort,  did  craftily,  near  the  appointed  time 
for  my  own  death,  creep  out  of  my  hut,  and  my  consort, 
having  induced  one  of  the  wives  of  Too-Kcela-Keela  to 
make  him  drunken  with  too  much  of  that  intoxicating 
drink  which  tliey  do  call  kava,  did  proceed — did  proceed — 
did  proceed — In  the  nineteenth  year  of  tlie  reign  of  his 
most  gracious  majesty,  King  Charles  the  Second — " 

Muriel  bent  forward  once  more  in  an  agony  of  suspense. 
"  Oh.  go  on,  good  Poll !  "  she  cried.  "  Go  on.  Remem- 
ber it.     Did  proceed  to — " 

The  single  syllable  helped  Methuselah's  memory.  " — 
Did  proceed  to  stealthily  pluck  the  bough,  and,  having 
shown  the  same  to  Fire  and  Water,  the  guardians  of  tne 
Taboo,  did  boldly  challenge  to  single  combat  the  bodily 
tenement  of  the  god,  with  spear  and  hatchet,  provided 
for  me  in  accordance  with  ancient  custom  by  Fire  and 
Water.  In  which  combat.  Heaven  mercifully  befriending 
nic  against  my  enemy,  I  did  coom  out  conqueror  ;  and 
was  thereupon  proclaimed  Too-Keela-Kecla  myself,  with 
ceremonies  too  many  and  barbarous  to  mention,  lest  I  raise 
your  gorge  at  tlicm.  But  that  which  is  most  important  to 
icU  you  for  your  own  guidance  and  safety,  O  mariner,  is 
this — that  being  the  sole  and  only  end  T  have  in  imparting 
this  history  to  so  '  nge  a  messenger — that  after  you  have 
by  craft  plucked  tae  s.'un-cd  brr.ncli,  and  by  force  of  arms 
over-coom  Too-Kccla  Kcela,  "t  is  by  all  means  needful, 
whether  you  wiK  or  not,  that  submitting  to  the  hateful 
and  gentile  custom  of  this  people — of  this  people — Pretty 


THE    GREAT   TAliOO. 


171 


:rson. 
I-  Too- 
ic,  bc- 
walks 
ceding 
;het  of 
y  over 
being. 

;d  time 
onsort, 
cela  to 
Licating 
jcccd — 
1  of  his 

ispense. 
Re  mem- 


Poll  !  Pretty  Poll  !  God  save — God  save  the  king!  Death 
to  the  nineteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  all  arrant  knaves 
and  roundheads." 

He  dropped  his  head  on  his  breast,  and  blinked  his 
white  eyelids  more  feebly  than  ever.  Ilis  strength  was 
failing  him  fast.  The  Sold  of  all  dead  parrots  was  wear- 
ing out.  M.  Peyron,  who  had  stood  by  all  this  time,  not 
knowing  in  any  way  what  might  be  the  value  of  the  bird's 
disclosures,  came  forv/ard  and  stn^ked  poor  Methuselah 
with  his  caressing  hand.  But  Methuselah  was  incipable 
now  of  any  further  effort.  lie  opened  his  blind  eyes 
sleepily  for  the  last,  last  time,  and  stared  around  him 
with  a  blank  star'3  at  the  fading  universe.  "  God  save  the 
king !  "  he  screamed  aloud  with  a  terrible  gasp,  true  to 
his  colors  still.  *'  God  save  the  king,  and  to  hell  with  all 
papists  !  " 

Then  he  fell  off  his  perch,  stone  dead,  on  the  ground. 
They  were  never  to  hear  the  conclusion  of  that  strange, 
quaint  message  from  a  forgotten  age  to  our  more  sceptical 
century. 

Felix  looked  at  Muriel,  and  Muriel  looked  at  Felix. 
They  could  hardly  contain  themselves  with  awe  and  sur- 
])rise.  The  parrot's  words  were  so  human,  its  speech  was 
so  real  to  them,  that  tln^y  felt  as  though  the  English  Tu- 
Kila-Kihi  of  two  hunuicd  years  back  had  really  and  truly 
been  speaking  to  them  from  that  perch  ;  it  was  a  human 
creature  indcf,'d  that  lay  dead  beftjrc  them.  Felix  raised 
the  warm  body  from  the  ground  with  positive  reverence. 
"\ye  will  bury  it  decently,"  he  said  in  French,  turning  to 
M.  Peyron.  *'Ik  was  a  plucky  bird,  indeed,  and  he  has 
carried  out  his  master's  intentions  nobly." 

As  tlicy  spoke,  a  little  rustling  in  the  jungle  hard  by  at- 
tracted their  attention.  Felix  turned  to  look.  A  stealthy 
brown  figure  glided  away  in  silence  through  the  tangled 
brubliwood.  M.  Peyron  started.  *' We  are  observed,  mon- 
sieur," lie  said.  ''  We  must  look  out  for  squalls  !  It  is  one 
of  the  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  '  " 


<     ;  I, 


Ml 


1/2 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


"  Let  him  do  his  worst ! "  Felix  answered.  "  We  know 
his  secret  now,  and  can  protect  ourselves  against  him. 
Let  us  return  to  the  shade,  monsieur,  and  talk  this  all  over. 
Methuselah  has  indeed  given  us  something  to-day  very 
serious  to  think  about." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


TU-KILA-KILA  STRIKES. 


"!;i! 


PV::     I 


HlKin 


I     ; 


lii' 


m\ 


And  yet,  when  all  was  said  and  done,  knowledge  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  secret  didn't  seem  to  bring  Felix  and  Muriel 
mucli  nearer  a  solution  of  their  own  great  problems  than 
they  had  been  from,  the  beginning.  In  spite  of  all  Methu- 
selah had  told  them,  they  were  as  far  off  as  ever  from  se- 
curing their  escape,  or  even  from  the  chance  of  sighting 
an  English  steamer. 

This  last  was  still  the  main  hope  and  expectation  of  all 
three  Europeans.  M.  Peyron,  who  was  a  bit  of  a  mathe- 
matician, had  acciu'ately  calculated  the  time,  from  what 
Felix  told  him,  when  the  Australasian  would  pass  again  on 
her  next  homeward  voyage;  and,  when  that  time  arrived, 
it  was  their  united  intention  to  watch  night  and  day  for  the 
famtest  glimmer  of  her  lights,  or  the  faintest  wreath  of  her 
smoke  on  the  far  eastern  horizon.  They  had  ventured  to 
confide  their  design  to  all  three  of  their  Shadows  ;  and  the 
Shadows,  attached  by  the  kindness  to  which  they  were  so 
little  accustomed  among  their  own  people,  had  in  every 
case  agreed  to  assist  them  with  the  canoe,  if  occasion 
served  them.  So  for  a  time  the  two  doomed  victims  sub- 
sided into  their  accustomed  calm  of  mingled  hope  and  de- 
spair, waiting  patiently  for  the  expected  arrival  of  the 
much-lonjved-for  Australasian. 

If  she  took  that  course  once,  why  not  a  second  time  ? 
And  if  ever  she  hove  in  sight,  might  they  not  hope,  after 


M 


THE    GREAT  7'A/JOO. 


173 


inovr 

him. 

.  over. 

r  very 


11 


e  of  Tu- 
\  Muriel 
iiis  than 
1  Mctbu- 

from  se- 

sigUting 

Lion  of  all 
a  matlie- 
rom  what 
s  again  on 
ne  arrived, 
ay  for  the 
jath  of  l^er 
entured  to 
s  ;  and  the 
ey  were  so 
ad  in  every 
if  occasion 
,  ictims  sub- 
ope  and  de- 
ival  of   the 


econd  time  ? 
hope,  after 


\: 


all,  to  signal  to  her  with  their  rudely  constructed  helio- 
graph, and  stop  her  ? 

As  for  Methuselah's  secret,  there  was  only  one  way, 
Felix  thought,  in  which  it  could  now  prove  of  any  use  to 
them.  Wlicn  the  actual  day  of  their  doom  drew  nigh,  he 
might,  perhaps,  be  tempted  to  try  the  fate  which  Nathaniel 
Cross,  of  Sundci'land,  had  successfully  courted.  That 
might  gain  them  at  least  a  little  respite.  Th(jugh  even  so 
he  hardly  knew  what  good  it  could  do  him  to  be  elevated 
lor  a  while  into^thc  chief  god  of  the  island.  It  might  not 
even  avail  him  to  save  Muriel's  life  ;  for  he  did  not  doubt 
tiiat  when  the  awful  day  itself  had  actually  come  the  na- 
tives would  do  their  best  to  kill  her  in  spite  of  Irim,  unless 
he  anticipated  them  by  fulfilling  his  own  terrible,  yet  mer- 
ciful, promise. 

Week  after  week  went  by — month  after  month  passed — 
and  the  date  when  the  Australasian  might  reasonably  be 
expected  to  reappear  drew  nearer  and  nearer.  They 
waited  and  trembled.  At  last,  a  few  days  before  the  time 
M.  Peyron  had  calculated,  as  Felix  was  sitting  under  the 
big  shady  tree  in  his  garden  one  morning,  while  Muriel, 
now  worn  out  with  hope  deferred,  lay  within  her  hut  alone 
with  Mali,  a  sound  of  tom-toms  and  beaten  palms  was 
heard  on  the  hiil-path.  The  natives  around  fell  on  their 
faces  or  fled.  It  announced  the  speedy  approach  of  Tu- 
Kila-Kila. 

By  this  time  both  the  castaways  had  grown  com- 
paratively accustomed  to  that  hideous  noise,  and  to  the 
hateful  presence  which  it  preceded  and  heralded.  A  dozen 
temple  attendants  tripped  on  either  side  down  the  hill- 
path,  to  guard  him,  clapping  their  hands  in  a  barbaric 
measure  as  they  went ;  Fire  and  Water,  in  the  midst, 
supported  and  flanked  the  divine  umbrella.  Felix  rose 
Uom  his  seat  with  very  little  ceremony,  indeed,  as  the 
great  god  crossed  the  white  taboo-line  of  his  precincts, 
followed  only  beyond  tue  limit  by  Fire  and  Water. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  was  in  his  most  insolent  vein.     He  danced 


' '  r 
1 


it 


1^^ 


frr 


174 


7y/A    CREAl'  y'ABOO. 


I'll '' 


if    r 


'!Hi'- 


around  with  a  horrid  light  of  triumph  dancing  visibly  in 
his  eyes.  It  was  clear  he  had  come,  intent  upon  some 
grand  theatrical  coiiJ>.  lie  meant  to  take  the  white-faced 
stranger  by  surprise  this  time.  "Good-morning,  O  King 
of  the  Rain,"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  loud  voice  and  with 
boisterous  familiarity.  "How  do  you  like  your  outlook 
now  ?  Things  are  getting  on.  Things  are  getting  on. 
The  end  of  your  rule  is  drawing  very  near,  isn't  it  ?  Be- 
fore long  I  must  make  the  seasons  change.  I  must  make 
my  sun  turn.  I  must  twist  round  my  sky.  And  then,  I 
shall  need 'a  new  Korong  instead  of  you,  O  pale-faced 
one  ! " 

Felix  looked  back  at  him  without  moving  a  muscle. 

*'  I  am  well,"  he  answered  shortly,  restraining  his  anger. 
"The  year  turns  round  whether  you  will  or  not.  You 
are  right  that  the  sun  will  soon  begin  to  move  southward 
on  its  path  again.  But  many  things  may  happen  to  all  of 
us  meanwhile     /am  not  afraid  of  you." 

As  he  spoke,  he  drew  his  knife,  and  opened  the  blade, 
unostentatiously,  but  firmly.  If  the  worst  were  really 
coming  now,  sooner  than  he  expected,  he  would  at  least 
not  forget  his  promise  to  Muriel. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  smiled  a  hateful  and  ominous  smile.  "  I 
am  a  great  god,"  he  said,  calmly,  striking  an  attitude  as 
was  his  wont.  "  Hear  how  my  people  clap  their  hands  in 
my  honor !  I  order  all  things.  I  dispose  the  course  of 
nature  in  heaven  and  earth.  If  I  look  at  a  cocoa-nut  tree, 
it  dies  ;  if  I  glance  at  a  bread-fruit,  it  withers  away.  We 
will  see  before  long  whether  or  not  you  are  afraid  of  me. 
Meanwhile,  O  Korong,  I  have  come  to  claim  my  dues  at 
your  hands.  Prepare  for  your  fate.  To-morrow  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  must  be  sealed  my  bride.  Fetch  her 
out,  that  I  may  speak  with  her.  I  have  come  to  tell  her 
so." 

It  was  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear  sky,  and  it  fell  with 
terrible  effect  on  Felix.  For  a  moment  the  knife  trembled 
in  his  grasp  with  an  almost  irresistible  impulse.     He  could 


-*■■  '•^'^°-ll 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


1/5 


ly  in 
some 
faced 
King 
with 
itlook 
ig  on. 
?     Bc- 
:  make 
then, 1 
e-faced 

cle. 

5  anger, 
.t.     You 
uthward 
to  all  of 

le  blade, 
\q  really 
at  least 

bile.     "I 
titude  as 

hands  in 
course  of 

nut  tree, 
.vay.  We 
aid  of  nie. 

y  dues  at 
)rrow    the 

Fetch  her 


1 


hardly  restrain  himself,  as  he  heard  those  horrible,  incred- 
ible words,  and  saw  the  loathsome  smirk  on  the  speaker's 
face  by  which  they  were  accompanied,  from  leaping  then 
and  there  at  the  savage's  throat,  and  plunging  his  blade  to 
the  haft  into  the  vile  creature's  body.  But  by  a  violent 
effort  he  mastered  his  indignation  and  wrath  fur  tlie  pres- 
ent. Planting  himself  full  in  front  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  and 
blocking  the  way  to  the  door  of  that  sacred  English  girl's 
hut — oh,  how  horrible  it  was  to  him  even  to  think  of  her 
purity  being  contaminated  by  the  vile  neighborhood,  f^jr 
one  minute,  of  that  loathsome  monster  !  He  looked  full 
into  the  wretch's  face,  and  answered  very  distinctly,  in 
low,  slow  tones,  "  If  you  dare  to  take  one  step  toward  tlic 
place  where  that  lady  now  rests,  if  you  dare  to  move  ycnir 
foot  one  inch  nearer,  if  you  dare  to  ask  to  see  her  face 
again,  I  will  plunge  the  knife  hilt-deep  into  your  vile  heart, 
and  kill  you  where  you  stand  without  one  second's  delib- 
eration. Now  you  hear  my  words  and  you  know  what  I 
mean.  My  weapon  is  keener  and  fiercer  than  any  you 
Polynesians  ever  saw.  Repeat  those  words  once  more, 
and  by  all  that's  true  and  holy,  before  they're  out  of  your 
mouth  I  leap  upon  you  and  stab  you." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  drew  back  in  sudden  surprise.  He  was 
unaccustomed  to  be  so  bearded  in  his  own  sacred  island. 
"Well,  I  shall  claim  her  to-morrow,"  Jic  faltered  out,  taken 
aback  by  Felix's  unexpected  energy.  He  paused  for  a 
second,  then  he  went  on  more  slowly  :  "  To-morrow  I 
will  come  with  all  my  people  to  claim  my  bride.  This 
after^ioon  they  will  bring  her  mats  of  grass  and  nov  klets 
of  nautilus  shell  to  deck  her  for  her  wedding,  as  becomes 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  chosen  one.  The  young  maids  of  Boupari 
will  adorn  her  for  her  lord,  in  the  accustomed  dress  of  Tu- 
Kilr  Kila's  wives.  They  will  clap  their  hands  ;  they  will 
sing  tiie  marriage  song.  Then  early  in  the  morning  I 
will  come  to  fetch  her — and  woe  to  him  who  strives  to 
prevent  me  ! " 

Felix  looked  at  him  long,  with  a  fixed  and  dogged  look. 


iM 


Iri 


II 


11 


I 


i 


jfcjjm 


176 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


\m\ 


''if;  I 


f!S       'I 


H^ 


"  What  has  made  you  think  of  this  devilry  ?"  he  asked  at 
last,  still  grasping  his  knife  hard,  and  half  undecided 
whether  or  not  to  use  it.  "You  have  invented  all  tliese 
ideas.  You  have  no  claim,  even  in  the  horrid  customs  of 
your  savage  country,  to  demand  such  a  sacrifice." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  laughed  loud,  a  laugh  of  triumpliant  and 
discordant  merriment.  *'  Ila,  ha  !"  he  cried,  "you  do  not 
understand  our  customs,  and  will  you  teach  mCy  tlic  very 
high  god,  the  guardian  of  tlie  laws  and  practices  of  Bou- 
pari  ?  You  know  nothing  ;  you  are  as  a  little  child.  I  am 
absolute  wisdom.  With  every  Korong,  this  is  always  our 
rule,  Till  the  moon  is  full,  on  the  last  month  before  we 
offer  up  the  sacrifice,  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  dwells  apart 
with  her  Shadow  in  her  own  new  temple.  So  our  fathers 
decreed  it.  But  at  the  full  of  the  moon,  when  the  day  has 
come,  the  usage  is  that  Tu-Kila-Kila,  the  very  high  god, 
confers  upon  her  the  lionor  of  making  her  his  bride.  It 
is  a  mighty  honor.  Tlie  feast  is  great.  Blood  flows  like 
water.  For  seven  days  and  nights,  then,  she  lives  with 
Tu-Kila-Kila  in  his  sacred  abode,  the  threshold  of  Heaven  ; 
she  eats  of  hutnan  flesh  ;  she  tastes  human  blood  ;  she 
drinks  abundantly  of  the  divine  kava.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  our  fathers,  those 
great  dead  gods,  Tu-Kila-Kila  performs  the  high  act  of 
sacrifice.  He  puts  on  his  mask  of  the  face  of  a  shark,  for 
he  is  holy  and  cruel  ;  he  brings  forth  the  Queen  of  the 
Clouds  before  the  eyes  of  all  his  people,  attired  in  her 
w^edding  robes,  and  made  drunk  with  kava.  Then  he 
gashes  her  with  knives  ;  he  offers  her  up  to  Heaven  that 
accepted  her  ;  and  the  King  of  the  Rain  he  offers  after 
her  ;  and  all  the  people  eat  of  their  flesh,  Korong !  and 
drink  of  their  blood,  so  that  the  body  of  gods  and  goddesses 
may  dweij  within  all  of  them.  And  when  all  is  done,  the 
high  god  chooses  a  new  king  and  queen  at  his  will  (for  he 
is  a  miglity  god),  who  rule  for  six  moons  more,  and  then 
are  offered  up,  at  the  end,  in  like  fashion." 

As  he  spoke,  the  ferocious  light  that  gleamed  in  the 


ggg— ^—uPBpw 


JOm 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


^77 


ed  at 
cidcd 
these 
lis  of 

t  and 
lo  not 
;  very 
Bou- 
I  am 
)'s  our 
)rc  we 
s  apart 
[athers 
lay  has 
h  god, 
dc.     It 
^vs  like 
js  with 
heaven  ; 
)d  ;  she 
of  that 
,  those 
act  of 
ark,  for 
of  the 
in  her 
hen  he 
en  that 
rs  after 
lor !  and 
)ddesses 
one,  the 
(for  he 
nd  then 


1 


savage's  eye  made  Felix  positively  mad  with  anger.  But 
he  answered  nothing  directly.  "Is  this  so?"  he  asked, 
turning  for  confirmation  to  Fire  and  Water.  "  Is  it  tlie 
custom  of  Boupari  that  Tu-Kila-Kila  should  wed  the 
Queen  of  the  Clouds  seven  days  before  the  date  appointed 
for  her  sacrifice  ?" 

The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  tried  guardians 
of  the  etiquette  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  court,  made  answer  at 
once  with  one  accord,  "  It  is  so,  O  King  of  the  Rain.  Your 
lips  have  said  it.  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks  the  solemn  truth, 
lie  is  a  very  great  god.     Such  is  the  custom  of  Boupari." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  laughed  his  triumph  in  harsh,  savage  out- 
bursts. 

But  Felix  drew  back  for  a  second,  irresolute.  At  last 
he  stood  face  to  face  with  the  absolute  need  for  immediate 
action.  Now  was  almost  the  moment  when  he  must  re- 
deem his  terrible  promise  to  Muriel.  And  yet,  even  so, 
there  was  still  one  chance  of  life,  one  respite  left.  The 
mystic  yellow  bough  on  the  sacred  banyan  !  the  Great 
Taboo  !  the  wager  of  battle  with  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  Quick  as 
lightning  it  all  came  up  in  his  excited  brain.  Time  after 
time,  since  he  heard  Methuselah's  strange  message  from 
the  grave,  had  he  passed  Tu  Kila-Kila's  temple  enclosure 
and  looked  up  with  vague  awe  at  that  sacred  parasite  that 
grew  so  conspicuously  in  a  fork  of  the  branches.  It  was 
easy  to  secure  it,  if  no  man  guarded.  There  still  remained 
one  night.  In  that  one  short  night  he  must  do  his  best — 
and  worst.  If  all  then  failed,  he  must  die  himself  with 
Muriel ! 

For  two  seconds  he  hesitated.  It  was  hateful  even  to 
temporize  with  so  hideous  a  proposition.  But  for  Muriel's 
sake,  for  her  dear  life's  sake,  he  must  meet  these  savages 
with  guile  for  guile.  '*  If  it  be,  indeed,  the  custom  of  Bou- 
pari," he  answered  back,  with  pale  and  trembling  lips, 
"  and  if  I,  one  man,  am  powerless  to  prevent  it,  I  will  give 
your  message,  myself,  to  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds,  and  you 
may  send,  as  you   say,  your  wedding  decorations.     But 


i 


hv:^' 


\ » 


^^1 


J 


t 


I 


i 


178 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


!tl 


come  what  will — mark  this — you  shall  not  see  her  yourself 
to-day.  You  shall  not  speak  to  her.  There  I  draw  a  line 
— so,  with  my  stick  in  the  dust,  if  you  try  to  advance  one 
step  beyond,  I  stab  you  to  the  heart.  Wait  till  to-morrow 
to  take  your  prey.  Give  me  one  more  night.  Great  god 
as  you  are,  if  you  are  wise,  you  will  not  drive  an  angry 
man  to  utter  desperation." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  looked  with  a  suspicious  side  glance  at 
the  gleaming  steel  blade  Felix  still  fingered  tremulously. 
Though  Boupari  was  one  of  those  rare  and  isolated  small 
islands  unvisited  as  yet  by  European  trade,  he  had,  never- 
theless, heard  enough  of  the  sailing  gods  to  know  that 
their  skill  was  deep  and  their  weapons  very  dangerous.  It 
would  be  foolish  to  provoke  this  man  to  wrath  too  soon. 
To-morrow,  when  taboo  was  removed,  and  all  was  free 
license,  he  would  come  when  he  willed  and  take  his  bride, 
backed  up  by  the  full  force  of  his  assembled  people. 
Meanwhile,  why  provoke  a  brother  god  too  far  ?  After  all, 
in  a  little  more  than  a  week  from  now  the  pale-faced  Ko- 
rong  would  be  eaten  and  digested  ! 

"Very  well,"  he  said,  sulkily,  but  still  with  the  sullen 
light  of  revenge  gleaming  bright  in  his  eye.  "  Take  my 
message  to  the  queen.  You  may  be  my  herald.  Tell  her 
what  honor  is  in  store  for  her — to  be  first  the  wife  and 
then  the  meat  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  She  is  a  very  fair  woman. 
I  like  her  well.  I  have  longed  for  her  for  months.  To- 
morrow, at  the  early  dawn,  by  the  break  of  day,  I  will 
come  with  all  my  people  and  take  her  home  by  main  force 
to  me." 

He  looked  at  Felix  and  scowled,  an  angry  scowl  of  re- 
venge. Then,  as  he  turned  and  walked  away,  under 
cover  of  the  great  umbrella,  with  its  dangling  pendants  on 
either  side,  the  temple  attendants  clapped  their  hands  in 
unison.  Fire  and  Water  marched  slow  and  held  the  um- 
brella over  him.  As  lie  disappeared  in  the  distance,  and 
the  sound  of  his  tom-toms  grew  dim  on  the  hills,  Toko,  the 
Shadow,  who  had  lain  flat,  trembling,  on  his  face  in  the 


ieli 

iue 

one 

row 

god 

:igry 

:e  at 
»us\y. 
small 
lever- 
r  that 
us.  It 
soon. 
IS  free 
,  bride, 
people, 
[ter  all, 
;ed  Ko- 

suUen 
ike  my 
:ell  her 
life  and 
[woman. 

is.     To- 
I  will 

tin  force 

j\  of  re- 
„  under 
lants  on 
lands  in 
itbe  um- 
ice,  and 
[oko,  the 
in  the 


77//':   GREAT  TABOO. 


179 


hut  while  the  jrod  was  speaking,  came  out  and  looked  anx- 
iously and  fe;;rfully  after  him. 

"  The  time  is  ripe,"  he  said,  in  a  very  low  voice  to  Felix. 
"  A  Korong  may  strike.  All  the  people  of  Boupari  mur- 
mur among  themselves.  They  say  this  fellow  has  held  the 
spirit  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  within  himself  too  long.  lie  waxes 
insolent.  They  think  it  is  high  time  the  great  God  of 
Heaven  should  find  before  long  some  other  lleshly  taber- 
nacle." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A     RASH     RESOLVE. 

The  rest  of  that  day  was  a  time  of  profound  and  intense 
anxiety.  Felix  and  Muriel  remained  alone  in  their  huts, 
absorbed  in  plans  of  escape,  but  messengers  of  many  sorts 
from  chiefs  and  gods  kept  continually  coming  to  them. 
The  natives  evidently  regarded  it  as  a  period  of  prepara- 
tion. The  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  surrounded  their  precinct ; 
yet  Felix  couldn't  help  noticing  that  they  seemed  in  many 
ways  less  watchful  than  of  old,  and  that  they  whispered 
and  conferred  very  much  in  a  mysterious  fashion  with  the 
people  of  the  village.  More  than  once  Toko  shook  his 
head,  sagely,  "  If  only  any  one  dared  break  the  Great 
Taboo,"  he  said,  with  some  terror  on  his  face,  "our  people 
would  be  glad.  It  would  greatly  please  them.  They  are 
tired  of  this  Tu-Kila-Kila.  He  has  held  the  god  in  his 
breast  far,  far  too  long.  They  would  willingly  see  some 
other  in  place  of  him." 

Before  noon,  the  young  girls  of  the  village,  bringing 
native  mats  and  huge  strings  of  nautilus  shells,  trooped  up 
to  the  hut,  like  bridesmaids,  with  flowers  in  their  hands, 
to  deck  Muriel  for  her  approaching  wedding.  Before  them 
they  carried  quantities  of  red  and  brown  tappa-cloth  and 
very  fine  net-work,  the  dowry  to  be  presented  by  the  royal 
bride  to  her  divine  husband.     Within  the  hut,  they  decked 


;     I 
1.   * 


\ 


■  ^ 

i 

i'; 


'^1 

.(5 


J 


:«  '■ 


■!i      ! 


1 80 


TrTE   GREAT  TABOO. 


out  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  witli  garlands  of  flowers  and 
necklets  of  shells,  in  solemn  native  fashion,  bewailing  her 
fate  all  the  time  to  a  measured  dirge  in  their  own  language. 
Muriel  could  see  that  their  sympathy,  though  partly  con- 
ventional, was  largely  real  as  well.  Many  of  the  young 
gills  seized  her  hand  convulsively  from  time  to  time,  and 
kissecrit  with  genuine  feeling.  The  gentle  young  Luiglish 
woman  had  won  their  savage  hearts  by  her  purity  and  in- 
nocence. "Poor  thing,  poor  thing,"  they  said,  stroking 
her  hand  tenderly.  "  She  is  too  good  for  Korong  !  Too 
good  for  Tu-Kila-Kila  !  If  only  vvc  knew  the  Great  Taboo 
like  the  men,  we  would  tell  her  everything.  She  is  too 
good  to  die.     We  are  sorry  she  is  to  be  sacrificed  ! " 

But  vvlien  all  their  preparations  were  finished,  the  chief 
among  them  raised  a  calabash  with  a  little  scented  oil  in 
it,  and  poured  a  few  drops  solemnly  on  Muriel's  head. 
**  Oh,  great  god  !  "  slie  said,  in  her  own  tongue,  "  we  offer 
this  sacrifice,  a  goddess  herself,  to  you.  We  obey  your 
words.  You  are  very  holy.  We  Avill  each  of  us  eat  a  por- 
tion of  her  flesh  at  your  feast.  So  give  us  good  crops, 
strong  health,  many  children  !  " 

"What  does  she  say?"  Muriel  asked,  pale  and  awe- 
struck, of  Mali. 

Mali  translated  the  words  with  perfect  sang-froid.  At 
that  awful  sound  Muriel  drew  back,  chill  and  cold  to  the 
marrow.  How  inconceivable  was  tlie  state  of  mind  of 
these  terrible  people  !  They  were  really  sorry  for  her  ; 
they  kissed  her  hand  with  fervor  ;  and  yet  they  deliberately 
and  solemnly  proposed  to  eat  her ! 

Toward  evening  the  young  girls  at  last  retired,  in  regular 
order,  to  the  clapping  of  hands,  and  Felix  was  left  alone 
with  Muriel  and  the  Shadows. 

Already  he  had  explained  to  Muriel  what  he  intended 
to  do  ;  and  Muriel,  half  dazed  with  terror  and  paralyzed 
by  these  awful  preparations,  consented  passively.  "  But 
how  if  you  never  come  back,  Felix  ? "  she  cried  at  last, 
clinging  to  him  passionately. 


TirE   GREAT  T.HiOO. 


l9s\ 


Felix  looked  at  her  with  a  fixed  look.  "  I  have  tliought 
of  that,"  lie  said.  *' jNI.  Pcyroii,  to  whom  I  sent  a  mcssugo 
by  llabhcs,  has  helped  me  in  my  diniculty.  This  bowl  has 
poison  in  it.  Peyron  sent  it  to  me  to-day.  lie  prepared 
it  himself  from  the  root  of  the  kava  bean.  If  by  sunrise 
Lo-morrow  you  have  heard  no  news,  drink  it  off  at  once.  It 
will  instantly  kill  you.  You  shall  not  fall  alive  into  that 
creature's  clutches." 

By  slow  degrees  the  evening  wore  on,  and  night  ap- 
proached— the  last  night  that  remained  to  them.  Felix 
had  decided  to  make  his  attempt  about  one  in  the  morning. 
Tiie  moon  was  nearly  full  now,  and  there  would  be  plenty 
of  light.  Supposing  he  succeeded,  if  they  gained  nothing 
else,  they  would  gain  at  least  a  day  or  two's  respite. 

As  dusk  set  in,  and  they  sat  by  the  door  of  the  hut,  they 
were  all  surprised  to  see  Ula  approach  the  precinct  steal- 
thily through  the  jungle,  accompanied  by  two  of  Tu-Kila  • 
Kila's  Eyes,  yet  apparently  on  some  strange  and  friendly 
message.  She  beckoned  imperiously  with  one  finger  to 
Toko  to  cross  the  line.  The  Shadow  rose,  and  without 
one  word  of  explanation  went  out  to  speak  to  her.  The 
woman  gave  her  message  in  short,  sharp  sentences.  "We 
have  found  out  all,"  she  said,  breathing  hard.  **  Fire  and 
Water  have  learned  it.  But  Tu-Kila-Kila  himself  knows 
nothing.  We  have  found  out  that  the  King  of  the  Rain 
has  discovered  the  secret  of  the  Great  Taboo.  He  heard 
it  from  the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots.  Tu-Kila-Kila*s  Eyes 
saw,  and  learned,  and  understood.  But  they  said  nothing 
to  Tu-Kila-Kila.  For  my  counsel  was  wise  ;  I  planned 
that  they  should  not,  with  Fire  and  Water.  Fire  and 
Water  and  aU  th,^  people  of  Boupari  think,  with  me,  the 
time  has  come  that  there  should  arise  among  us  a  new  Tu- 
Kila-Kila.  This  one  let  his  blood  fall  out  upon  the  dust  of 
the  ground.    His  luck  has  gone.  We  have  need  of  another." 

"  Then  for  what  have  you  come  ? "  Toko  asked,  all  awe- 
struck. It  was  terrible  to  him  for  a  woman  to  meddle  in 
such  high  matters. 


If  •' 


i 


r    i 


Jl 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


^1^  Hi 


m 


■  2.2 

^    13.6      ^BB 


2.0 


i 
i 

U   11.6 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  Wff T  .M*1N  SfftEET 

WEBSTER, K.V,  I4SS0 

(716)872-4503 


4^ 


Ci^ 


l82 


THE   CREAT   TABOO. 


I ,  ,i 


U=i^i'! 


i  Ml  i; 


■'   ^ 


1 

! 

! 
I 

; 

"  I  liavc  come,"  Ula  answered,  laying  her  hand  on  his 
.'inn,  and  lujlding  her  face  close  to  liis  with  profjuud 
s;>lcmnity — "  1  liavc  come  to  say  to  the  King  of  the  Rain, 
'  Whatever  you  do,  tliat  do  quiclily.'  To-niglit  I  will  en- 
gage to  keep  Tu-Kila-Kila  in  his  temple.  lie  shall  sec 
nothing.  He  shall  hear  nothing.  I  know  not  the  Great 
Taboo  ;  but  I  know  from  him  this  much — that  if  by  wile  or 
guile  I  keep  him  alone  in  his  temple  to-niglit,  the  King  of 
the  Rain  may  fight  with  him  in  single  combat  ;  and  if  the 
King  of  the  Rain  conquers  in  the  battle,  he  becomes  him- 
self the  home  of  the  great  deity." 

She  nodded  thrice,  with  her  hands  on  her  forehead,  and 
withdrew  as  stealthily  as  she  had  come  through  the  jungle. 
The  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  falling  into  line,  remained  be- 
hind, and  kept  watch  upon  the  huts  with  the  closest  ap- 
parent scrutiny. 

More  than  ever  they  were  hemmed  in  by  mysteiy  on 
mystery. 

The  Shadow  went  back  and  reported  to  Felix.  Felix, 
turning  it  over  in  his  own  mind,  wondered  and  debated 
Was  this  true,  or  a  trap  to  lure  him  to  destruction  ? 

As  the  night  wore  on,  and  the  hour  drew  nigh,  Muriel 
sat  beside  her  friend  and  lover,  in  blank  despair  and  agon}'. 
How  could  she  ever  allow  him  to  leave  her  now?  How 
could  she  venture  to  remain  alone  with  Mali  in  her  hut  in 
this  last  extremity  ?  It  was  awful  to  be  so  girt  with  mys- 
terious enemies.  "  I  must  go  with  you,  Felix  !  I  must  go, 
too  !"  she  cried  over  and  over  again.  "I  daren't  remain 
behind  with  all  these  awful  men.  And  then,  if  he  kills 
either  of  us,  he  will  kill  us  at  least  both  together." 

I5ut  Felix  knew  he  might  do  nothing  of  the  sort.  A 
more  terrible  chance  was  still  in  reserve.  He  might  spare 
Muriel.  And  against  that  awful  possibility  he  felt  it  his 
duty  now  to  gtiard  at  all  hazard. 

**  No,  Muriel,"  he  said,  kissing  her,  and  holding  her  pale 
hand,  "I  must  go  alone.  You  can't  come  with  me.  If  I 
return,  we  will  have  gained   at  least  a  respite,  till  the 


-"^TV 


in 


Tirn   GREAT  TABOO. 


183 


n  Uis 

Riiin, 
ill  en- 
lU  sec 
Great 
.vile  or 
Ling  of 
\  \i  the 
es  Uin^- 

t 

;ad,  and 
I  jungle, 
ined  be- 
3sest  ap- 

steiy  on 

t.     Felix, 
debated 


Australasian  may  turn  up.  If  I  don't,  you  will  at  any  rate 
have  strength  of  mind  left  to  swallow  tiie  poison,  before 
Tu-Kila-Kihi  comes  to  claim  you." 

Hour  after  hour  passed  by  slowly,  and  Felix  and  the 
Shadow  watciied  the  stars  at  the  door,  to  know  when  the 
hour  for  the  attempt  had  arrived.  The  eyes  of  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  peering  silent  from  just  beyond  tlie  line,  saw  them 
watching  all  the  time,  but  gave  no  sign  or  token  of  disap- 
proval. With  heads  bent  low,  and  tangled  hair  about 
their  faces,  they  stood  like  statues,  watching,  watching 
sullenly.  Were  they  only  waiting  till  he  moved,  Felix 
wondered  ;  and  would  they  then  hasten  off  by  short  routes 
ihrough  the  jungle  to  warn  their  master  of  the  impending 
conflict  ? 

At  last  the  hour  came  when  Felix  felt  sure  there  was 
the  greatest  chance  of  Tu-Kila-Kila  sleeping  soundly  in 
his  hut,  and  forgetting  the  defence  of  the  sacred  bough  on 
the  holy  banyan-tree.  He  rose  from  his  seat  with  a  ges- 
ture for  silence,  and  moved  forward  to  Muriel.  The  poor 
gill  flung  herself,  all  tears,  into  liis  arms.  "Oh,  Felix, 
Felix,"  she  cried,  "redeem  your  promise  now!  Kill  us 
both  here  together,  and  then,  at  least,  I  shall  never  be 
separated  from  you  !  It  wouldn't  be  wrong  !  It  can't 
be  wrong!  We  would  surely  be  forgiven  if  we  did  it 
only  to  escape  falling  into  the  hands  of  these  terrible  sav- 
ages !  " 

Felix  clasped  her  to  his  bosom  wilIi  a  faltering  heart. 
"No,  Muriel,"  he  said,  slowly.  "Not  yet.  Not  yet.  I 
must  leave  no  opening  on  earth  untried  by  which  I  can 
possibly  or  conceivably  save  you.  It's  as  hard  for  mo 
to  leave  you  here  alone  as  for  you  to  be  left.  But 
for  your  own  dear  sake,  I  must  steel  myself.  I  must 
do  it." 

He  kissed  her  many  times  over.  He  wiped  away  her 
tears.  Then,  with  a  gentle  movement,  he  untwined  her 
clasping  arms.  "You  must  let  mc  go,  my  own  darling," 
he  said.     **You  must  let  me  go,  without  crossing  the  bor- 


1 84 


THE    GREAT  TABOO. 


11  I 


Is 


■•1 

.  1 


der.  If  you  pass  beyond  the  taboo-line  to-night,  Heaven 
only  knows  what,  perhaps,  may  iiappen  to  you.  We  must 
give  these  people  no  handle  of  offence.  Good-night,  Mu- 
riel, m}'  own  heart's  wife  ;  and  if  I  never  come  back,  then 
good-by  forever." 

She  clung  to  his  arm  still.  He  disentangled  himself, 
gently.  The  Shadow  rose  at  the  same  moment,  and  fol- 
lowed in  silence  to  the  open  door.  Muriel  rushed  after 
them,  wildly.  "  Oh,  Felix,  Felix,  come  back,"  she  cried, 
bursting  into  wild  floods  of  hot,  fierce  tears.  "  Come 
back  and  let  me  die  with  you !  Let  me  die  !  Let  me  die 
with  you  ! " 

Felix  crossed  the  white  line  without  one  word  of  reply, 
and  went  forth  into  the  night,  half  unmanned  by  this  effort. 
Muriel  sank,  where  she  stood,  into  Mali's  arms.  The  girl 
caught  her  and  supported  her.  But  before  she  had  fainted 
quite  away,  Muriel  had  time  vaguely  to  see  and  note  one 
significant  fact.  The  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who  stood 
watching  the  huts  with  lynx-like  care,  nodded  twice  to 
Toko,  the  Shadow,  as  he  passed  between  them  ;  then  they 
stealthily  turned  and  dogged  the  two  men's  footsteps  afar 
off  in  the  jungle. 

Muriel  was  left  by  herself  in  the  hut,  face  to  face  with 

Mali. 

"  Let  us  pray,  Mali,"  she  cried,  seizing  her  Shadow's 

arm. 

And  Mali,  moved  suddenly  by  some  half-obliterated  im- 
pulse, exclaimed  in  concert,  in  a  terrified  voice,  "  Let  us 
pray  to  Methodist  God  in  heaven  !  " 

For  her  life,  too,  hung  on  the  issue  of  that  rash  en- 
deavor. 


THE   GREAT  r.UlOO. 


i85 


^ 


avcn 
must 
,  Mu- 
,  then 

mself, 
d  fol- 
L  aftcr 
cried, 
=  Come 
me  die 

[  reply, 
s  effort. 
rUe  gill 
I  fainted 
aote  one 
lo   stood 
twice  to 
[hen  they 
,eps  afar 

[ace  with 
shadow's 

Irated  im- 
"Let  us 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


A   STRANGE   ALLY. 


In  Tu-Kila-Kila*s  temple-hut,  meanwhile,  the  jealous, 
revengeful  god,  enshrined  among  his  skeletons,  was  liav- 
ing  in  his  turn  an  anxious  and  doubtful  time  of  it.  Ever 
since  his  sacred  blood  had  stained  the  dust  of  earth  by  tlie 
Frenchman's  cottage  and  in  his  own  temple,  Tu-Ivihi-Kila, 
for  all  his  bluster,  had  been  deeply  stirred  and  terrified  in 
his  inmost  soul  by  that  unlucky  portent.  A  sayage,  even 
if  he  be  a  god,  is  always  superstitious.  Could  it  be  tliat 
his  own  time  was,  indeed,  drawing  nigh  ?  that  he,  who  had 
remorselessly  killed  and  eaten  so  many  hundreds  of  human 
victims,  was  himself  to  fall  a  prey  to  some  more  successful 
competitor  ?  Had  the  white-faced  stranger,  the  King  of 
the  Rain,  really  learned  the  secrets  of  the  Great  Taboo 
from  the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots  ?  Did  that  mysterious 
bird  speak  the  tongue  of  these  new  fire-bearing  Korongs, 
whose  doom  was  fixed  for  the  approaciiing  solstice  ?  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  wondered  and  doubted.  Ilis  suspicions  were 
keen,  and  deeply  aroused.  Late  that  night  he  still  lurked 
by  the  sacred  banyan-tree,  and  when  at  last  he  retired  to 
his  own  inner  temple,  white  with  the  grinning  skulls  of  the 
victims  he  had  devoured,  it  was  with  strict  injunctions  to 
Fire  and  Water,  and  to  his  Eyes  that  watched  there,  to 
bring  him  word  at  once  of  any  projected  aggression  on 
the  part  of  the  stranger. 

Within  the  temple-hut,  however,  Ula  awaited  him.  That 
was  a  pleasant  change  The  beautiful,  supple,  satin- 
skinned  Polynesian  looked  more  beautiful  and  more 
treacherous  than  ever  that  fateful  evening.  Her  great 
brown  limbs,  smooth  and  glossy  as  pearl,  were  set  off  by  a 
narrow  girdle  or  waistband  of  green  and  scarlet  leaves, 
twined  spirally  around  her.  Armlets  of  nautilus  shell 
threw  up  the  dainty  plumpness  of  her  soft,  round  forearm. 


I'  ii 


lii 


^1! 


'< 


i  h 


i'l! 


i 


it 


:l 


J  I 


I II 1 1 


yy//j:  creat  taboo. 

A  garland  hung  festooned  across  one  shapely  shoulder; 
her  bosom  was  bare  or  but  half  hidden  by  the  crimson  hi- 
biscus that  nestled  voluptuously  upon  it.  As  Tu-Kila-Kila 
entered,  she  lifted  her  large  eyes,  and,  smiling,  showed 
two  even  rows  of  pearly  white  teeth.  "  My  master  has 
come!"  she  cried,  holding  up  both  lissome  arms  with  a 
gesture  to  welcome  him.  "  The  great  god  relaxes  his 
care  of  the  world  for  a  while.  All  goes  on  well.  lie 
leaves  his  sun  to  sleep  and  his  stars  to  shine,  and  he  retires 
to  rest  on  the  unworthy  bosom  of  her,  his  mate,  his  meat, 
that  is  honored  to  love  him." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  was  scarcely  just  then  in  a  mood  for  dalli- 
ance. "The  Oueen  of  the  Clouds  comes  hither  to-mor- 
row,"  he  answered,  casting  a  somewhat  contemptuous 
glance  at  Ula's  more  dusky  and  solid  charms.  "  I  go  to 
seek  her  with  the  wedding  gifts  early  in  the  morning. 
For  a  week  she  shall  be  mine.  And  after  that — "  he  lifted 
his  tomahawk  and  brought  it  down  on  a  huge  block  of 
wood  significantly. 

Ula  smiled  once  more,  that  deep,  treacherous  smile  of 
hers,  and  showed  her  white  teeth  even  deeper  than  ever. 
*'  If  my  lord,  the  great  god,  rises  so  early  to-morrow,"  she 
said,  sidling  up  toward  him  voluptuously,  "to  seek  one 
more  bride  for  his  sacred  temple,  all  the  more  reason  he 
should  take  his  rest  and  sleep  soundly  to-night.  Is  he  not 
a  god  ?  Are  not  his  limbs  tired  ?  Does  he  not  need  di- 
vine silence  and  slumber?" 

Tu-Kila-Kila  pouted.  '*  I  could  sleep  more  soundly," 
he  said,  with  a  snort,  "  if  I  knew  what  my  enemy,  the 
Korong,  is  doing.  I  have  set  my  Eyes  to  watch  him,  yet  I 
do  not  feel  secure.  They  are  not  to  be  trusted.  I  shall  be 
happier  far  when  I  have  killed  and  eaten  him."  He  passed 
his  hand  across  his  bosom  with  a  reflective  air.  You  have 
a  great  sense  of  security  toward  your  enemy,  no  doubt, 
when  you  know  that  he  slumbers,  well  digested,  within  you. 

Ula  raised  herself  on  her  elbow,  and  gazed  snake-like 
into  his   face.      "  My  lord's  Eyes  are  everywhere,"    shg 


dcr  -, 
[1  hi- 
-Kila 
owed 
r  has 
/ilh  a 
;s    bis 
.     lie 
retires 
;  meat, 

,r  dalli- 
to-mor- 
iptuous 
1  go  to 
iiorning. 
be  lifted 
block  of 

smile  oi 
^an  ever, 
l-ow,"  she 
Iseek  one 
]eason  he 
Is  he  not 
need  di- 

joundly," 


lemy, 


the 


dm,  yet  I 
il  shall  be 

[e  passed 
JYou  have 
Ino  doubt, 

rithin  you. 
Isnake-like 

lere,"    shq 


7y//i    GRI'.AT  TABOO. 


187 


said,  reverently,  with  every  mark  of  respect.  "  He  sees 
and  knows  all  things.  Who  can  hide  anything  on  earth 
from  his  face  ?  Even  when  he  is  asleep,  his  Eyes  watch 
well  for  him.  Then  why  should  the  great  god,  the  Meas- 
urer of  Heaven  and  Earth,  the  King  of  Men,  fear  a  white- 
faced  stranger  ?  To-morrow  the  Queen  of  the  Clouds  will 
be  yours,  and  the  stranger  will  be  abased  :  ha,  ha,  he  will 
grieve  at  it  !  To-night,  Fire  and  Water  keep  guard  and 
watch  over  you.  Whoever  would  hurt  you  must  pass 
through  Fire  and  Water  before  he  reach  your  door.  Fire 
would  burn,  Water  would  drown.  This  is  a  Great  Taboo. 
No  stranger  dare  face  it." 

Tu-Kila-Kila  lifted  himself  up  in  his  thrasonic  mood. 
"  If  he  did,"  he  cried,  swelling  himself,  "  I  would  shrivel 
him  to  ashes  with  one  Hash  of  my  eyes.  I  would  scorch 
him  to  a  cinder  with  one  stroke  of  my  lightning." 

Ula  smiled  again,  a  well  satisfied  smile.  She  was  work- 
ing her  man  up.  "  Tu-Kila-Kila  is  great,"  she  repeated, 
slowly.     **A11  earth  obeys  him.     All  heaven  fears  him." 

The  savage  took  her  hand  with  a  doubtful  air.  "And 
yet,"  he  said,  toying  with  it,  half  irresolute,  "when  I  went 
to  the  v/hite-faccd  stranger's  hut  this  morning,  he  did  not 
speak  fair;  he  answered  me  insolently.  His  words  were 
bold.  He  talked  to  me  as  one  talks  to  a  man,  not  to  a 
great  god.     Ula,  I  wonder  if  he  knows  my  secret  ? " 

Ula  started  back  in  well-affected  horror.  "A  white- 
faced  stranger  from  the  sun  know  your  secret,  O  great 
king ! "  she  cried,  hiding  her  face  in  a  square  of  cloth. 
"See  me  beat  my  breast!  Impossible  !  Impossible!  No 
one  of  your  subjects  would  dare  to  tell  him  so  great  a 
taboo.  It  would  be  rank  blasphemy.  If  they  did,  your 
anger  would  utterly  consume  them  !  " 

''That  is  true,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  practically,  "but  I 
might  not  discover  it.  I  am  a  very  great  god.  My  Eyes 
arc  everywhere.  No  corner  of  the  world  is  hid  from  my 
gaze.     All  the  concerns  of  heaven  and  earth  are  my  carCi 

And  therefore;  symetimes;  I  gverlook  §gme  cJetailt" 


l;3 

• 

M 

i    ' 

.           1' 

1  t 

^ 

I! 


1 1 


i 


1 88 


r///C   GRhAT  TABOO, 


"No  man  alive  would  dare  to  tell  the  Great  Taboo!" 
Uia  repeated,  confidently.  *'  Why,  even  I  myself,  who  am 
the  most  favored  of  your  wives,  and  who  am  permitted  to 
bask  in  the  light  of  your  presence — even  I,  Ula — I  do  not 
know  it.  How  much  less,  then,  the  spirit  from  the  sun, 
the  sailing  god,  the  white-faced  stranger  !  " 

Tu-Kila-Kila  pursed  up  his  brow  and  looked  prcternatu- 
rally  wise,  as  the  savage  loves  to  do.  *'  But  the  parrot," 
he  cried,  "the  Soul  of  all  dead  parrots!  He  knew  tiic 
secret,  they  say  : — I  taught  it  him  myself  in  an  ancient 
day,  many,  many  years  ago — when  no  man  now  living  was 
born,  save  only  I — in  anotlier  incarnation — and  he  may 
have  told  it.  For  the  strangers,  they  say,  speak  the  lan- 
guage of  birds ;  and  in  the  language  of  birds  did  I  tell  the 
Great  Taboo  to  him." 

Ula  pooh-poohed  the  miglity  man-god's  fears.  "  No, 
no,"  she  cried,  with  confidence  ;  "he  can  never  have  told 
them.  If  he  had,  would  not  your  Eyes  that  watch  ever  for 
all  that  happens  on  heaven  or  earth,  have  straightway  re- 
ported it  to  you?  The  parrot  died  witliout  yielding  up 
the  tale.  Were  it  otherwise,  Toko,  who  loves  and  wor- 
ships you,  would  surely  have  told  me.'' 

The  man-god  puckered  his  brows  slightly,  as  if  he  liked 
not  the  security.  "Well,  somehow,  Ula,"  lie  said,  feeling 
her  soft  brown  arms  with  his  divine  hand,  slowly,  "  I  have 
always  had  my  doubts  since  that  day  the  Soul  of  all  dead 
parrots  bit  me.  A  vicious  bird  !  What  did  he  mean  by 
his  bite  ?"  He  lowered  his  voice  and  looked  at  her  fixed- 
ly. "Did  not  his  spilling  my  blood  portend,"  he  asked, 
with  a  shudder  of  fear,  "  that  through  that  ill-omened  bird 
I,  who  was  once  Lavita,  should  cease  to  be  Tu-Kila-Kila?" 

Ula  smiled  contentedly  again.  To  say  the  truth,  that 
was  precisely  the  interpretation  she  herself  had  put  on 
that  terrific  omen.  The  parrot  had  spilled  Tu-Kila-Kila's 
sacred  blood  upon  the  soil  of  earth.  According  to  her 
simple  natural  philosophy,  that  was  a  certain  sign  that 
through  the  parrot's  instrumentality  Tu-Kila-Kila's   life 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


189 


•I 


)0 

D  am 
cd  to 
o  not 
sun, 

rnatu- 
xn'ot," 
;\v  the 
incicnt 
110;  was 
he   may 
,hc  lan- 
tcU  the 

.     "No, 
lave  told 
,  ever  ior 
ttway  rc- 
Iding  u? 
,nd  wor- 


would  be  forfeited  to  the  great  eternal  earth-spirit.  Or, 
rather,  the  earth-spirit  would  claim  the  blood  of  the  man 
Lavita,  in  whose  body  it  dwelt,  and  would  itself  migrate 
to  some  new  earthly  tabernacle. 

Dut  for  all  that,  she  dissembled.  "Great  god,"  she 
cried,  smiling,  a  benign  smile,  "you  arc  tired!  You  are 
thirsty  !  Care  for  heaven  and  earth  has  wearied  you  out. 
Vou  feel  the  fatigue  of  upholding  the  sun  in  licaven. 
Your  arms  must  ache.  Your  thews  must  give  under  you. 
Drink  of  the  soul-inspiring  juice  of  the  kava  !  My  hands 
have  prepared  the  divine  cup.  For  Tu-Kila-Kila  did  I 
make  it — fresh,  pure,  invigorating!" 

Slie  held  the  bowl  to  his  lips  with  an  enticing  smile. 
Tu-Kila-Kila  hesitated  and  glanced  around  him  suspic- 
iously. "  What  if  the  white-faced  stranger  should  come 
to-night?"  he  whispered,  hoarsely.  "He  may  have  dis- 
covered the  Great  Tnboo,  after  all.  Who  can  tell  the 
ways  of  the  world,  how  they  come  about  ?  My  people  are 
so  treacherous.  Some  traitor  may  have  betrayed  it  to 
him." 

"  Impossible,"  the  beautiful,  snake-like  woman  an- 
swered, with  a  strong  gesture  of  natural  dissent.  "  And 
even  if  he  came,  would  not  kava,  the  divine,  inspiriting 
drink  of  the  gods,  in  which  dwell  the  embodied  souls  of 
our  fathers — would  not  kava  make  you  more  vigorous, 
strong  for  the  fight  ?  Would  it  not  course  through  your 
limbs  like  fire  ?  Would  it  not  pour  into  your  soul  the  di- 
vine, abiding  strength  of  your  mighty  mother,  the  eternal 
earth-spirit  ?" 

"A  little,"  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  yielding,  "but  not  too 
much.  Too  much  would  stupefy  me.  W  hen  the  spirits, 
that  the  kava-tree  sucks  up  from  the  earth,  are  too  strong 
within  us,  they  overpower  our  own  strength,  so  that  even 
I,  the  high  god — even  I  can  do  nothing." 

Ula  held  the  bowl  to  his  lips,  and  enticed  him  to  drink 
with  her  beautiful  eyes.  "A  deep  draught,  O  supporter 
of  the  sun  in  heaven,"  she  cried,  pressing  his  arm  tenderly. 


h 


V, 


r 


I 


11 


i 


I   t 


1 


\\ 


it 

I 


190 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


'i 


11  i 


I! 


"  Am  I  not  Ulii  ?  Did  I  not  brew  it  for  you  ?  Am  I  not 
the  chief  and  most  fp-voicd  among  your  women  ?  I  will 
sit  at  tiie  door.  I  will  watch  all  nigiit.  1  will  not  close  an 
eye.  Not  a  footfall  on  lh«j  ground  but  my  ear  shall  hear 
it." 

*•  Do."  Tu-Kila-Kila  said,  laconically.  **  I  fear  Fire  and 
Water.  Those  gods  love  me  not.  Fain  would  they  make 
me  migrate  into  some  other  body.  But  I  myself  like  it 
not.  This  one  suits  me  admirably.  Ula,  that  kava  is 
stronger  than  you  are  used  to  make  it." 

"No,  no,"  Ula  cried,  pressing  it  to  his  lips  a  second  time, 
passionately.  "You  are  a  very  great  god.  You  are  tired  ; 
it  overcomes  you.  And  if  you  sleep,  I  will  watch.  Fire 
and  \Vatcr  dare  not  disobey  your  commands.  Are  you  not 
great  ?  Your  Eyes  are  everywhere.  And  I,  even  I,  will  be 
as  one  of  then:  ' 

The  savage  ^  ^ed  down  a  few  more  mouthfuls  of  the 
intoxicating  liquid.  Then  he  glanced  up  again  suddenly 
with  a  quick,  suspicious  look.  The  cunning  of  his  race 
gave  him  wisdom  in  spite  of  the  deadly  strength  of  the 
kava  Ula  had  brewed  too  deep  for  him.  \Vith  a  st'dden 
resolve,  he  rose  and  staggered  out.  "  You  arc  a  scrpont, 
woman  ! "  he  cried  angrily,  seeing  the  smile  that  lurked 
upon  Ula's  face.  "  To-morrow  I  \\\\\  kill  you.  I  will 
take  the  white  woman  for  my  bride,  and  she  and  I  will 
feast  off  your  carrion  body.  You  have  tried  to  betray 
me,  but  you  are  not  cunning  enough,  not  strong  en(;ugh. 
No  woman  shall  kill  me.  I  am  a  very  great  god.  I  will 
not  yield.  I  will  wait  by  the  tree.  This  is  a  trap  you  have 
set,  but  I  do  not  fall  into  it.  If  the  King  of  the  Rain 
comes,  I  shall  be  there  to  meet  him." 

He  seized  his  spear  and  hatchet  and  walked  forth,  erect, 
without  one  sign  of  drunkenness.  Ula  trembled  to  her- 
self as  she  saw  him  go.  She  was  playing  a  deep  game. 
Had  she  given  him  only  just  enough  kava  to  strengthen 
and  inspire  him  ? 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


191 


1  not 

.  will 
•sc  an 
.  hear 

re  and 

r  make 

like  it 

vava   iii 

nd  tii^^c, 
fc  tii'cd  ; 

;  you  n<^)t 
[,  will  be 

lis  of  tUc 

suddenly 
{  his  race 

tU  of  the 

a  sL'ddcn 

a  scipf'^'^^* 
Kit  lurked 
u.     1   ^viU 
and  1  ^vl^^ 
to  betray 
cr  enougU. 
od.     l^V'U 
p  you  bavc 
the  R^'^'^ 

[orth,  erect, 
)led  to  ber- 

leep  g^"^^- 
strengthen 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


WAGER  OF  BATTLE. 


Felix  wound  his  way  painfully  through  the  deep  fern- 
brake  of  tlic  jungle,  by  no  reguhu"  path,  so  as  to  avoid  ex- 
citing the  alarm  of  the  natives,  and  to  take  Tu  Kila-Kila's 
palacc-tcmple  from  the  rear,  where  tiic  big  tree,  which 
overshadowed  it  with  its  drooping  branches,  was  most 
easily  approachable.  As  he  and  Toko  crept  on,  bending 
low,  throug'.i  that  dense  tropical  scrub,  in  deathly  silence, 
they  were  aware  all  the  time  of  a  low,  crackling  sound  that 
rang  ever  some  paces  in  the  rear  on  their  trail  tlu-ongh  the 
forest.  ItwasTu-Kila-Kila'sEyes,  following  them  stealthily 
from  afar,  footstep  for  footstep,  through  the  dense  under- 
growth of  bush,  and  the  crisp  fallen  leaves  and  twigs  that 
snapped  light  beneath  their  footfall.  What  hope  of  success 
with  those  watchful  spies,  keen  as  bcngles  and  cruel  as 
bloodhounds,  following  ever  (ju  their  track  ?  What  chance  of 
escape  for  Felix  and  Muriel,  with  the  cannibal  man-gods 
toils  laid  round  on  every  side  to  insure  their  destruction  ? 

Silently  and  cautiously  the  two  men  groped  their  way 
on  through  the  dark  gloom  of  the  woods,  in  spite  of  their 
mute  pursuers.  The  moonlight  flickered  down  athwart  the 
trackless  soil  as  they  went  ;  tlie  hum  of  insects  innumer- 
able droned  deep  along  the  underbrush.  Now  and  then 
the  startled  scream  of  a  night  jar  broke  the  monotony  of 
the  buzz  that  was  worse  than  silence  ;  owls  boomed  from 
the  hollow  trees,  and  fireflies  darted  dim  through  the  open 
spaces.  At  last  they  emerged  upon  the  cleared  area  of 
the  temple.  There  Felix,  without  one  moment's  hesita- 
tion, with  a  firm  and  resolute  tread,  stepped  over  the  white 
coral  line  that  marked  the  taboo  of  the  great  god's  pre- 
cincts. That  was  a  declaration  of  open  war ;  he  had 
crossed  the  Rubicon  of  Tu-Kila-Kila's  empire.  Toko 
stood  trembling  on  the  far  side  ;  none  might  pass  that 


i- 


I 


n 


■X 


192 


THE   CRE.ir  TAnOO. 


I 


ii 


■■I         ,'i 


I 


mystic  line  unbidden  and  live,  save  tiie  Korong  alone  who 
could  succeed  in  breaking  off  the  bough  "with  yellow 
leaves,  resembling  a  mistletoe,"  of  which  Methuselah, 
the  parrot,  had  told  Felix  and  Muriel,  and  so  earn  the 
right  to  fight  for  his  life  with  the  redoubted  and  redoubt- 
able Tu-Kila-Kila. 

As  he  stepped  over  the  taboo-line,  Felix  was  aware  of 
many  native  eyes  fixed  stonily  upon  him  from  the  sur- 
rounding precinct.  Clearly  they  were  awaiting  hini.  Yet 
not  a  soul  gave  the  alarm  ;  that  in  itself  would  have  been 
to  break  taboo.  Every  man  or  woman  among  the  temple 
attendants  witiiin  that  charmed  circle  stood  on  gaze  curi- 
ously. Close  by,  Ula,  the  favorite  wife  of  the  man-god, 
crouched  low  by  the  hut,  with  one  finger  on  her  treacher- 
ous lips,  bending  eagerly  forward,  in  silent  expectation  of 
what  next  might  happen.  Once,  and  once  only,  she 
glanced  at  Toko  with  a  mute  sign  of  triumph  ;  then  she 
fixed  her  big  eyes  on  Felix  in  tremulous  anxiety  ;  for  to 
her  as  to  him,  life  and  death  now  hung  absolutely  on  the 
issue  of  his  enterprise.  A  little  farther  back  the  King  of 
Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  in  full  sacrificial  robes,  stood 
smiling  sardonically.  For  tlicm  it  was  merely  a  question 
of  one  master  more  or  less,  one  Tu-Kila-Kila  in  place  of 
another.  They  had  no  special  interest  in  the  upshot  of 
the  contest,  save  in  so  far  as  they  always  hated  most  the 
man  who  for  the  moment  held  by  his  own  strong  arm 
the  superior  godship  over  tli:m.  Around,  Tu-Kila-Kila's 
Eyes  kept  watch  and  ward  in  sinister  silence.  Taboo 
was  stronger  than  even  the  commands  of  the  high  god 
himself.  When  once  a  Korong  had  crossed  that  fatal  line, 
unbidden  and  unwelcomed  by  Tu-Kila-Kila,  he  came  as 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  foe  and  would-be  successor ;  the  duty  of 
every  guardian  of  the  temple  was  then  to  see  fair  play  be- 
tween the  Qfod  that  was  and  tlie  cfod  thr.t  mifjht  be — the 
Tu-Kila-Kila  of  the  hour  and  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  who  might 
possibly  supplant  him. 

"  Let  the  great  spirit  itself  choose  which  body  it  will 


^ 


'1\ 


\ 


T//£  GREAT  TABOO. 


193 


inhabit,"  the  King  of  Fire  muiinurcd  in  a  soft,  low  voice, 
glancing  toward  a  dark  spot  at  the  foot  of  the  big  tree. 
Tiie  nioonli2ht  foil  dim  through  tlic  branches  on  tlie  place 
wlierc  lie  looked.  The  glibbcring  bones  of  dead  victims 
rattled  lightly  in  the  wind.  Felix's  eyes  followed  the 
King  of  Fire's,  and  saw,  lying  asleep  upon  the  ground, 
Tu-Kila-Kila  himself,  with  his  spear  and  tomahawk. 

He  lay  there,  huddled  up  by  the  very  roots  of  the  tree, 
breathing  deep  and  regularly.  Right  over  his  head  pro- 
jected the  branch,  in  one  part  of  whose  bouglis  grew  the 
fateful  parasite.  By  the  dim  light  of  the  moon,  straggling 
through  the  dense  foliage,  Felix  could  sec  its  yellow  leaves 
distinctly.  Beneath  it  hung  a  skeleton,  suspended  by  in- 
visible cf'rds,  head  downward  from  the  branches.  It  was 
th^^  skeleton  of  a  previous  Korong  who  had  tried  in  vain  to 
reach  the  bough,  and  perished.  Tu-Kila-Kila  had  made 
high  feast  on  the  victim's  flesh  ;  his  bones,  now  collected 
together  and  cunningly  fastened  with  native  rope,  served 
at  once  as  a  warning  and  as  a  trap  or  pitfall  for  all  who 
might  rashly  venture  to  follow  him. 

Felix  stood  for  one  moment,  alone  and  awe-struck,  a 
solitary  civilized  man,  among  those  hideous  surroundings. 
Above,  the  cold  moon  ;  all  about,  the  grim,  stolid,  half- 
hostile  natives  ;  close  by,  that  strange,  serpentine,  savage 
wife,  guarding,  cat-like,  the  sleep  of  her  cannibal  husband  ; 
behind,  the  watchful  Eyes  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  waiting  ever  in 
the  background,  ready  to  raise  a  loud  shout  of  alarm  and 
warning  the  moment  the  fatal  branch  was  actually  broken, 
but  mute,  by  their  vows,  till  that  moment  was  accomplished. 
Then  a  sudden  wild  impulse  urged  him  on  to  the  attempt. 
The  banyan  had  dropped  down  rooting  offsets  to  the 
ground,  after  the  fashion  of  its  kind,  from  its  main 
branches.  Felix  seized  one  of  these  and  swung  himself 
lightly  up,  till  he  reached  the  very  limb  on  which  the 
sacred  parasite  itself  was  growmg. 

To  get  to  the  parasite,  however,  he  must  pass  directly 
above  Tu-Kila-Kila's  head,  and  over  the  point  where  that 
'3 


i  t 


i 


ji 


i 


Ml 


w 


194 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


I:       I 


I  m 


ghastly  grinning  skeletoi^  was  suspended,  as  by  an  unseen 
hair,  from  the  fork  that  bore  it. 

He  walked  along,  balancing  himself,  and  clutching,  as 
he  went,  at  the  neighboring  boughs,  while  Tu-Kila-Kila, 
overcome  with  the  kava,  slept  stolidly  and  heavily  on  be- 
neath him.  At  last  he  was  almost  within  grasp  of  the 
parasite.  Could  he  lunge  out  and  clutch  it  ?  One  try — 
one  effort !  No,  no  ;  he  almost  lost  footing  and  fell  over 
in  the  attempt.  He  couldn't  keep  his  balance  so.  He 
must  try  farther  on.  Come  what  might,  he  must  go  past 
the  skeleton. 

The  grisly  mass  swung  again,  clanking  its  bones  as  it 
swung,  and  groaned  in  the  wind  ominously.  The  breeze 
whistled  audibly  through  its  hollow  skull  and  vacant  eye- 
sockets.  Tu-Kila-Kila  turned  uneasily  in  his  sleep  below. 
Felix  saw  there  was  not  one  instant  of  time  to  be  lost  now. 
He  passed  on  boldly  ;  and  as  he  passed,  a  dozen  thin  cords 
of  paper  mulberry,  stretched  every  way  in  an  invisible  net- 
work among  the  boughs,  too  small  to  be  seen  in  the  dim 
moonlight,  caught  him  with  their  toils  and  almost  over- 
threw him.  They  broke  with  his  weight,  and  Felix  him- 
self, tumbling  blindly,  fell  forward.  At  the  cost  of  a 
sprained  wrist  and  a  great  jerk  on  his  bruised  fingers,  he 
caught  at  a  bough  by  his  side,  but  wrenched  it  away  sud- 
denly. It  was  touch  and  go.  At  the  very  same  moment, 
the  skeleton  fell  heavily,  and  rattled  on  the  ground  beside 
Tu-Kila-Kila. 

Before  Felix  could  discover  what  had  actually  happened, 
a  very  great  shout  went  up  all  round  below,  and  made  him 
stagger  with  excitement.  Tu-Kila-Kila  was  awake,  and  had 
started  up,  all  intent,  mad  with  wrath  and  kava.  Glaring 
about  him  wildly,  and  brandishing  his  great  spear  in  his 
stalwart  hands,  he  screamed  aloud,  in  a  perfect  frenzy  of 
passion  and  despair  :  "  Where  is  he,  the  Koroiig  ?  Bring 
him  on,  my  meat !  Let  me  devour  his  heart !  Let  me  tear 
him  to  pieces.  Let  me  drink  of  his  blood !  Let  me  kill 
him  and  eat  him  !  " 


!  I        ! 


n  unseen 


^//^   GREAT  TABOO. 


""^.'°  ''-ok  for  thf  pa  aL     ir';  f  f"  "•"^'>'  =">""t 
"■■'S'^-     He  glanced  around  In  ri  ''"''  S°"<=  '■'^  'f  by 

'"•->' noticing  ..as  left  for  i    no^buT;'"'  ,"'^"^'^  ^""-'•"- 

T]  '"  '"'"-'f  I^e  killed  at  le  sure  h    .f '"'^  '°  ""  S'"""'' 
.       iet  even  as  he  did  so  hf   ,  ""^  "'''"  ^''-''Wic  sava-re 

-'■y  ••>3  of  triumph-  an  r.  !?'  ■'"'"'°  °^  "'■•«  S-eat  cryl^ 
'"'^  n,s'.cd  forw'ard,        Te  :"L;!"  ""^     ''^  ""^  ^ate 
"">v  blaclc  in  the  face  from  r.  -         ,"^  '^"'"'^  T„-Kila-Kila 
«•-  -iiing  a  maliciou    •o7%\:''"  ""  '"-'■  ""-^^l"-     Ula 
■"'erest  and  excitement      And  ^"  ''"'"  "^''''Sog  with 

--am  rose  unanimous  to  the  st";,","  T'  •■"'  '"•-"  "''d 

Word"  "th  ^"^  '-'  °^  -^'e  Sr'xtrs""^"""-' 
^vo  Id!     The  great  god's  ahnH.      li  /        ^^''''^  ^^  the 

lie  has  it  f  "  ""^  ^'^'^^  ^I'-is  come.     He  has  it ! 

feif tdd::?;'  xtrt  T""  ■"  ^^•""""■^  ^™-"-     "is  eye 
l^-."-     In  his  efft   \  "sttadrr  '7.''  '•^-^-  "^  ^-^'' 
a'  "  by  pure  accident,  and  bSiir^  '  '"  ''""^  ^'""^'-d 
force  of  ins  clutching.  Asfor  un;         ,     ""■'""''-'=  "'"''  ">c 
'[  still.     His  senses  f-eeTed      He,""    f  "■""  '''  '"^  grasped 
-'ement.  suspense,  and  uncer"  i^u"  ^  ""f  ^'^'^'^  "'•"'  «" 
l"s  wrenched  wrist.     But  for  M     ^^;.     ^"^'"^  ""''  Pai"  of 
self  together.     Gazing  dow^/j^'f''^^.^  '^^^  '-  PuHod  him. 
'"-tl.at  strange  savage  scon!,     """=  ''"'""'^  '°  '--"^^  "  all 

was  making  frantic  attemntsToT       '''"'"       '  ^-'Kila-Kila 
"•■'<=  '"e  King  of  pi'3  '<?  ""Se  at  him  with  the  spear, 

'•^'entless,  wereholdin '£  nffV""^.°^  ^^'■""'  ='^™  and 
"-•■■  best  to  appease^^ni  ;°ef  iX""""  '°^"'  ^^^  ='-'". 

There  was  an  awful  niuse      ru 
ness  fron.  beyond  the  tTboo  ,inl        "  '°"^  '"'"'^^  "^«  =""- 

jje/sS::;:;--^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

f.  a  Wl  my  master  comes.     He  has  the 


I    ' 

f  •! 


■'   ^ 


II 

J  J 

ft     ■ 


u 


I  I 


I 

I 


•I' 


I  n     I, 


i§$$ 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


Soul  of  all  the  spirits  of  the  wood  in  his  hands.  He  will 
fight  for  his  right.  Taboo  !  Taboo  !  I,  Toko,  hare  said 
it." 

He  clapped  his  hands  thrice. 

Tu-Kila-Kila  made  a  wild  effort  to  break  away  once 
more.  But  the  King  of  Fire,  standing  opposite  him,  spoke 
still  louder  and  clearer.  **  If  you  touch  the  Korong  before 
the  line  is  drawn,"  he  said,  with  a  voice  of  authority,  *'you 
are  no  Tu-Kila-Kila,  but  an  outcast  and  a  criminal.  All 
the  people  will  hold  you  with  forked  sticks,  while  the 
Korong  burns  you  alive  slowly,  limb  by  limb,  with  me,  who 
am  Fire,  the  fierce,  the  consuming.  I  will  scorch  you  and 
bake  you  till  you  are  as  a  bamboo  in  the  flame.  Taboo  ! 
Taboo  !     Taboo  !     I,  Fire,  have  said  it." 

The  King  of  Water,  with  three  attendants,  forced  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  on  one  side  for  a  moment.  Ula  stood  by  and 
smiled  pleased  compliance.  A  temple  slave,  trembling  all 
over  at  this  conflict  of  the  gods,  brought  out  a  calabash 
full  of  white  coral-sand.  The  King  of  Water  spat  on  it 
and  blessed  it.  By  this  time  a  dozen  natives,  at  least,  had 
assembled  outside  the  taboo-line,  and  stood  eagerly  watch- 
ing the  result  of  the  combat.  The  temple  slave  made  a 
long  white  mark  with  the  coral-sand  on  one  side  of  the 
cleared  area.  Then  he  handed  the  calabash  solemnly  to 
Toko.  Toko  crossed  the  sacred  precinct  with  a  few  in- 
audible words  of  muttered  charm,  to  save  the  Taboo,  as 
prescribed  in  the  mysteries.  Then  he  drew  a  similar  line 
on  the  ground  on  his  side,  some  twenty  yards  off.  *'  De- 
scend, O  my  lord  !  "  he  cried  to  Felix  ;  and  Felix,  still 
holding  the  bough  tight  in  his  hand,  swung  himself  blind- 
ly from  the  tree,  and  took  his  place  by  Toko. 

"Toe  the  line  !  "  Toko  cried,  and  Felix  toed  it. 

"  Bring  up  your  god  !  "  the  Shadow  called  out  aloud  to 
the  King  of  Water.  And  the  King  of  Water,  using  no 
special  ceremony  with  so  great  a  duty,  dragged  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  helplessly  along  with  him  to  the  farther  taboo-line. 

The  King  of  Water  brought  a  spear  and  tomahawk.     He 


% 


THE  a  RE  AT  TABOO. 


197 


[e  will 
e  said 


y  once 

,  spoke 

before 

al.     All 
Liile  the 
aie,  wlio 
you  and 
Taboo  1 

reed  Tu- 
I  by  and 
ibling  all 
L  calabasli 
jpat  on  it 
least,  bad 
y  watch- 
e  made  a 
de  of  tbe 
)lemnly  to 
a  few  in- 
Taboo,  as 
itnilar  Vine 

ff.     "D<^- 

Felix,  still 

self  blind- 


It  aloud  to 

j,  using  no 

;cl  Tu-Kila- 

[boo-line. 

Ibawk.    He 


handed  them  to  Felix.  "  With  tliese  weapons,"  he  said, 
"  fight,  and  merit  heaven.  I  hold  the  bough  meanwhile 
— the  victor  takes  it." 

The  King  of  Fire  stood  out  between  tlie  lists.  *'Ko- 
rongs  and  gods,"  he  said,  ''  the  King  of  the  Rain  has 
plucked  the  sacred  bough,  according  to  our  fathers'  rites, 
and  claims  trial  which  of  you  two  shall  henceforth  hold 
the  sacred  soul  of  the  world,  the  great  Tu-Kila-Kila. 
Wager  of  Battle  decides  the  day.  Keep  toe  to  line.  At 
the  end  of  my  words,  forth,  forward,  and  fight  for  it.  The 
great  god  knows  his  own,  and  will  choose  his  abode.  Ta- 
boo, Taboo,  Taboo !     I,  Fire,  have  spoken  it." 

Scarcely  were  the  words  well  out  of  his  mouth,  when, 
with  a  wild  whoop  of  rage,  Tu-Kila-Kila,  who  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  knowing  the  rules  of  the  game,  so  to  speak, 
dashed  madly  forward,  drunk  with  passion  and  kava,  and 
gave  one  lunge  with  his  spear  full  tilt  at  the  breast  of  the 
startled  and  unprepared  white  man.  His  aim,  though 
frantic,  was  not  at  fault.  The  spear  struck  Felix  high  up 
on  the  left  side.  He  felt  a  dull  thud  of  pain  ;  a  faint  gur- 
gle of  blood.  Even  in  the  pale  moonlight  his  eye  told 
him  at  once  a  red  stream  was  trickling  out  over  his  flan- 
nel shirt.  He  was  pricked,  at  least.  The  great  god  had 
wounded  him. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


VICTORY — AND    AFTER 


The  great  god  had  wounded  him.  But  not  to  tlie  heart. 
Felix,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  happened  to  be  wearing 
buckled  braces.  Fie  had  worn  them  on  board,  and,  like 
the  rest  of  his  costume,  had,  of  course,  never  since  been 
able  to  discar^'  them.  They  stood  him  in  good  stead  now. 
The  buckle  caught  the  very  point  of  the  bone-tipped 
spear,  and  broke  the  force  of  the  blow,  as  the  great  god 


198 


THE  GkKAT  TABOO. 


i  li 

{>flSI 

i;<jH|- 

1 

1 

1     1 

'i 

1' 
! 

ii      s 

■1 

If                ■ 

1        1 

■-«' 

I 

> 

i 

J 

\ 

i 

1  '1 

i 

1 

lunged  forward.  The  wound  was  but  a  graze  ;  and  Tu- 
Kila-Kila's  liglit  shaft  snapped  short  in  tlie  middle. 

Madder  and  wilder  than  ever,  the  savage  pitched  it  away, 
yelling,  rushed  forward  with  a  fierce  curse  on  his  angry 
tongue,  and  Hung  himself,  tooth  and  nail,  on  his  astonished 
opponent. 

Tlie  suddenness  of  the  onslaught  almost  took  the  Eng- 
lisliman's  breatii  away.  By  this  time,  however,  Felix  had 
pulled  together  his  ideas  and  taken  in  the  situation.  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  was  attacking  him  now  with  his  heavy  stone  axe. 
He  must  parry  those  deadly  blows.  lie  must  be  alert,  but 
watchful.  He  must  put  himself  in  a  posture  of  defence  at 
once.  Above  all,  he  must  keep  cool  and  have  his  wits 
about  him. 

If  he  could  but  have  drawn  his  knife,  he  would  have 
stood  a  better  chance  in  that  hand-to-hand  conflict.  But 
there  was  no  time  now  for  such  tactics  as  those.  Besides, 
even  in  close  fight  with  a  bloodthirsty  savage,  an  English 
gentleman's  sense  of  fair  play  never  for  one  moment  de- 
serts him.  Felix  felt,  if  they  were  to  fight  it  out  face  to 
face  for  their  lives,  they  should  fight  at  least  on  a  perfect 
equality.  Steel  against  stone  was  a  mean  advantage. 
Parrying  Tu-Kila-Kila's  first  desperate  blow  with  the  haft 
of  his  own  hatchet,  he  leaped  aside  half  a  second  to  gain 
breath  and  strength.  Then  he  rushed  on,  and  dealt  one 
deadly  downstroke  with  the  ponderous  weapon. 

For  a  minute  or  two  they  closed,  in  perfectly  savage 
single  combat.  Fire  and  Water,  observant  and  impartial, 
stood  by  like  seconds  to  see  the  god  himself  decide  the 
issue,  which  of  tb.e  two  combatants  should  be  his  living 
representative.  The  contest  was  brief  but  very  hard- 
fought.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  inspired  with  the  last  frenzy  of  de- 
spair, rushed  wildly  on  his  opponent  with  hands  and  fists, 
and  teeth  and  nails,  dealing  his  blows  in  blind  fury,  right 
and  left,  and  seeking  only  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  pos- 
sible. In  this  last  extremity,  his  very  superstitions  told 
against  him.     Everything  seemed  to  show  his  hour  had 


-n 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


199 


Tu- 

uvay, 
ingry 
lished 

Eng- 
ix  had 
.  Tu- 
le  axe. 
:rt,  but 
ence  at 
lis  wits 

d  have 

t.     But 

Besides, 

English 

nent  de- 
face to 

I  perfect 

vantage, 
tlie  haft 
to  gain 

lealt  one 

savage 
npartial, 
jcide  the 
lis  living 
Iry  hard- 
Yy  of  de- 
md  fists, 
ii-y,  right 
jy  as  pos- 
^ons  told 
lour  had 


come.  The  parrot's  bite — the  omen  of  his  own  blood  tliat 
stained  the  dust  of  earth — Ula's  treachery — the  chance  by 
which  the  Korong  had  learned  the  Great  Taboo — Felix's 
accidental  or  providential  success  in  breaking  off  tiie 
bough — the  length  of  time  he  himself  had  held  the  divine 
lionors — the  probability  that  the  god  would  by  this  time 
begin  to  prefer  a  new  and  stronger  representative — all  these 
things  alilve  combined  to  fire  the  drunk  and  maddened 
savage  with  the  energy  of  despair.  He  fell  upon  his  enemy 
like  a  tiger  upon  an  elephant.  lie  fought  witli  his  toma- 
hawk and  his  feet  and  his  whole  lithe  body  ;  he  foamed  at 
the  mouth  with  impotent  rage  ;  he  spent  his  force  on  the 
air  in  the  extremity  of  his  passion. 

Felix,  on  tlie  other  hand,  sobered  by  pain,  and  nerved 
by  the  fixed  consciousness  that  Muriel's  safety  now  de- 
pended absolutely  on  his  perfect  coolness,  fouglit  witli  the 
calm  skill  of  a  practised  fencer.  Happily  he  had  learned 
the  gentle  art  of  thrust  and  parry  years  before  in  England  ; 
and  though  both  weapon  and  opponent  were  here  so  dif- 
ferent, the  lesson  of  quickness  and  calm  watchfulness  lie 
had  gained  in  that  civilized  school  stood  him  in  good  stead, 
even  now,  under  sucli  adverse  circumstances.  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  getting  spent,  drew  back  for  a  second  at  last,  and 
panted  for  breath.  That  faint  breathing-space  of  a  mo- 
ment' "uration  sealed  his  fate.  Seizing  his  chance  witii 
consummate  skill,  Felix  closed  upon  the  breathless  mon- 
ster, and  brought  down  the  heavy  stone  hammer  point 
blank  upon  the  centre  of  his  crashing  skull.  The  weapon 
drove  home.  It  cleft  a  great  red  gash  in  the  cannibal's 
head.  Tu-Kila-Kila  reeled  and  fell.  There  was  an  infini- 
tesimal pause  of  silence  and  suspense.  Then  a  great  shout 
went  up  from  all  round  to  heaven,  "  He  has  killed  him  ! 
He  has  killed  him  !  We  have  a  new-made  god  !  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  is  dead  !     Long  live  Tu-Kila-Kila ! '' 

Felix  drew  back  for  a  moment,  panting  and  breathless, 
and  wiped  his  wet  brow  with  his  sleeve,  his  brain  all  whirl- 
ing.   At  his  feet,  the  savage  lay  stretched  like  a  log.  Felix 


\ 


200 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


\m^ 


gazed  at  the  blood-bespattered  face  remorsefully.  It  is  an 
awful  thing,  even  in  a  just  quarrel,  to  feel  that  you  have 
really  taken  a  human  life!  The  responsibility  is  enough 
to  appal  the  bravest  of  us.  He  stooped  down  and  ex- 
amined the  prostrate  body  with  solemn  reverence.  Blood 
was  flowing  in  torrents  from  the  wounded  head.  But  Tu- 
Kila-Kihi  was  dead — stone-dead  forever. 

Hot  tears  of  relief  welled  up  into  Felix's  eyes.  He 
touched  the  body  cautiously  W'th  a  reverent  hand.  No 
life.     No  motion. 

Just  as  he  did  so,  the  woman  Ula  came  forward,  bare 
limbed  and  beautiful,  all  triumph  in  her  walk,  a  proud,  in- 
sensitive savage.  One  second  she  gazed  at  the  great 
corpse  disdainfully.  Then  she  lifted  her  dainty  foot,  and 
gave  it  a  contemptuous  kick.  ''The  body  of  Lavita,  the 
son  of  Sami,"  she  said,  with  a  gesture  of  hatred.  "  He  had 
a  bad  heart.  We  will  cook  it  and  eat  it."  Next  turning 
to  Felix,  "  Oh,  Tu-Kila-Kila,"  she  cried,  clapping  her 
hands  three  times  and  bowing  low  to  the  ground,  "  you 
are  a  very  great  god.  We  will  serve  you  and  salute  you. 
Am  not  I,  Ula,  one  of  your  wives,  your  meat  ?  Do  with 
me  as  you  will.  Toko,  you  are  henceforth  the  grea*: 
god's  Shadow ! " 

Felix  gazed  at  the  beautiful,  heartless  creature,  all  horri- 
fied. Even  on  Boupari,  that  cannibal  island,  he  was 
hardly  prepared  for  quite  so  low  a  depth  of  savage  insen- 
sibility. But  all  the  people  around,  now  a  hundred  or 
more,  standing  naked  before  their  new  god,  took  up  the 
shout  in  concert.  *'  The  body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami," 
they  cried.  "A  carrion  corpse  !  The  god  has  deserted  it. 
The  great  soul  of  the  world  has  eritered  the  heart  of  the 
white-faced  stranger  from  the  di«:k  of  the  sun  ;  the  King 
of  the  Rain  ;  the  great  Tu-Kila-Kila.  We  will  cook  and 
eat  the  body  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami.  He  was  a  bad 
man.  He  is  a  worn-out  shell.  Nothing  remains  of  him 
now.  The  jrrcat  gfod  has  left  him." 
.  They  clapped  their  hands  in  a  set  measure  as  they  re- 


^ 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


201 


ng 


is  an 
luive 
High 
.  ex- 

Uood 
:  Tu- 
lle 

,     No 

bare 

ud,  in- 
great 

Dt,  and 

la,  the 

He  had 

[urning 
her 
"  you 
e  you. 
)o  with 
c  grea*- 

I  horri- 
he   was 
e  insen- 
dred  or 
up  the 
Sami," 
ierted  it. 
of  the 
e  King 
)ok  and 
Ls  a  bad 
of  him 

I  they  re- 


cited this  hymn.  The  King  of  Fire  ^-etreated  into  the 
temple.  Ula  stood  by,  and  whispered  low  with  Toko. 
There  was  a  ceremonial  pause  of  some  fifteen  minutes. 
Presently,  from  the  inner  recesses  of  the  temple  itself,  a 
low  noise  issued  forth  as  of  a  rising  wind.  For  some 
seconds  it  buzzed  and  hummed,  droningly.  But  at  the 
very  first  note  of  that  holy  sound  Ula  dropped  her  lover's 
liaud,  as  one  drops  a  red-liot  coal,  and  darted  wildly  off  at 
full  speed,  like  some  frightened  wild  beast,  into  the  thick 
jungle.  Every  other  woman  near  began  to  rush  away 
with  equally  instantaneous  signs  of  haste  and  fear.  The 
men,  on  the  otlier  hand,  erect  and  naked,  with  their  hands 
on  their  foreheads,  crossed  the  taboo-line  at  once.  It  was 
the  summons  to  all  who  had  been  initiated  at  the  mysteries 
— the  sacred  bull-roarer  was  calling  the  assembly  of  the 
men  of  Boupari. 

For  several  minutes  it  buzzed  and  droned,  that  mystic 
implement,  growing  louder  and  louder,  till  it  roared  like 
thunder.  One  after  another,  the  men  of  the  island  rushed 
in  as  if  mad  or  in  flight  for  their  lives  before  some  fierce 
beast  pursuing  them.  They  ran  up,  panting,  and  dripping 
with  sweat ;  their  hands  clapped  to  their  foreheads  ;  their 
eyes  starting  wildly  from  their  staring  sockets  ;  torn  and 
bleeding  and  lacerated  by  the  thorns  and  branches  of  the 
jungle,  for  each  man  ran  straight  across  country  from  the 
spot  where  he  lay  asleep,  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
and  never  paused  or  drew  breath,  for  dear  life's  sake,  till 
he  stood  beside  the  corpse  of  the  dead  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

And  every  moment  the  cry  pealed  louder  and  louder 
still.  "  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami,  is  dead,  praise  Heaven  ! 
The  King  of  the  Rain  has  slain  him,  and  is  now  the  true 
Tu-Kila-Kila  ! " 

Felix  bent  irresolute  over  the  fallen  savage's  blood- 
stained corpse.  What  next  was  expected  of  him  he  hardly 
knew  or  cared.  His  one  desire  row  was  to  return  to 
Muriel — to  Muriel,  whom  he  had  rescued  from  something 


ti 

I 


•  , ; 


202 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


\,i 


mm. 


■  '-    ;tit    .    , 

in 

il  1 , 

li 

1 

Ik' 

worse  than  death  at  the  hateful  hands  of  that  accursed 
creature  who  lay  breathless  forever  on  the  ground  beside 
him. 

Somebody  came  up  just  then,  and  seized  his  hand 
warmly.  Felix  looked  up  with  a  start.  It  was  tlieir 
friend,  the  Frenchman.  "  Ah,  my  captain,  you  have  done 
well,"  M.  Peyron  cried,  admiring  him.  "What  courage! 
What  coolness !  What  pluck  !  What  soldiership !  I 
couldn't  see  all.     But  I  was  in  at  the  death  !     And   oh, 

« 

mon  DicUy  how  I  admired  and  envied  you  ! " 

By  this  time  the  bull-roarer  had  ceased  to  bellow  among 
the  rocks.  The  King  of  Fire  stood  forth.  In  his  hands 
he  held  a  length  of  bamboo-stick  with  a  lighted  coal  in  it. 
"  Bring  wood  and  palm-leaves,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  com- 
mand. "  Let  me  light  myself  up,  that  I  may  blaze  before 
Tu-Kila-Kila." 

He  turned  and  bowed  thrice  very  low  before  Felix. 
"  The  accepted  of  Heaven,"  he  cried,  holding  his  hands 
above  him.  **The  very  high  god!  The  King  of  all 
Things  !  He  sends  down  his  showers  upon  our  crops  and 
our  fields.  He  causes  his  sun  to  shine  brightly  over  us. 
He  makes  our  pigs  and  our  slaves  bring  forth  their  in- 
crease. All  we  are  but  his  meat.  We,  his  people,  praise 
him." 

And  all  the  men  of  Boupari,  naked  and  bleeding,  bent 
low  in  response.  "Tu  Kila-Kila  is  great,"  they  chanted, 
as  they  clapped  their  hands.  "  We  thank  him  that  he  has 
chosen  a  fresh  incarnation.  The  sun  will  not  fade  in  the 
heavens  overhead,  nor  the  bread-fruits  wither  and  cease  to 
bear  fruit  on  earth.  Tu-Kila-Kila,  our  god,  is  great.  He 
springs  ever  young  and  fresh,  like  the  herbs  of  the  field. 
He  is  a  most  high  god.     We,  his  people,  praise  him." 

Four  temple  attendants  brought  sticks  and  leaves,  while 
Felix  stood  still,  half  dnzcd  witli  the  newness  of  these 
strange  preparations.  The  King  of  Fire,  with  his  torch, 
set  liglit  to  the  pile.     It  blazed  merrily  on  high.     "  I,  Fire, 

salute  you,"  he  cried,   bending  qvci-  it   toward   Felix. 


TITE  GREAT  TABOO. 


"No^v  cut  up  the  body  „f  r  avi.n    Z'  ^°^ 

"'ent    on,   turning   tofvard  t        '   """  '°"  °f  S-"^""."  lie 

the  ceremony  of  i„iu.ui;„  ofa  Iw  T    "^T''"'''    ''^^-'"^  " 
-e  had  never   before  i„    his  li/rh  """'^"•''' '° 'vhich 

'  ardly  k„e,v  how  to  conmor   I  ,f "  •''^'="^'°'ned      He 

crcun^stances.  U  .as  Tt  Wh"  ""'^^  ="^"  ='"»-'- 
?and,  on  coronation-da,-,  should"...  ^  ^oy^reiga  of  £„„. 
-t.mate  to  the  archbishop, -^'tf  "7, '°  "=  -°vvned,  an^d 
firmed  preference  for  the^;"^ M  can  ''''"°"'^'"''  ^  =°n- 
It  was  a  contingency  ti.at  Jafvand  .    T"  °^  ^°^«rnment. 

;Vou         reatl^L-:  td?r;  LTd^'^^  "'^^^^  ear. 
absolutely  necessary      Ev^l^  '    '^^  =«'d.     "  That  is 

neshof  thegod;  d[  yfu  Tbo^an'  "  '""^' ^'^^  '^^  'f^e 
'.  '"';'"«  "ature.     OthenWse  vou     '  '""''  "^'  ^s  heart, 
Ivila-Kila."  ^"  ean  never  be  full  Tu- 

"I  don't  care  a  straw  for  that  "P»i>       . 
0  a  full  sense  of  the   break    1  If''r"ed,  now  aroused 

jembling  with  apprehens  on   '",  ^^''^^^^'-'^'^  story  and 
'ke  ;  we  can  die  only  once    h  .  .,        """^  ''"'  ""'  ''^  you 
-'e  -•  nor  will  I,   ^^^1"  li'v^  '""'"  """  '  ^^  "-e 
d  ad  man's  body.     iVe  wil   burv  if     '  ^?"  '°  '°"'=''  ""s 
'I'e  Birds  and  I.     You  m.vl.7      ""--^^'^es,  the  King  „f 
"y   last   word."     He   rased,, ''"•'■  "'"''''  '"■     T'>«  is 
e-emonial  pitch,     "i  2TJ'    T"'  '"  ">«  customary 
"have  spoken  it."         '  ""'  """^  ^u  Kila-Kila,"  he  said 


ii; 


i; 


i'h 


i  u 


8? 


ru 


204 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


% 


W 


I'll 


The  King  of  Fire  and  the  King  of  Water,  taken  aback 
at  his  boldness,  conferred  togetiier  for  some  seconds  pri- 
vately. The  people  meanwhile  looked  on  and  wondered. 
Wiiat  could  this  strange  hitch  in  the  divine  proceedings 
mean  ?  Was  the  god  himself  recalcitrant  ?  Never  in 
their  lives  had  the  oldest  men  among  them  known  any- 
thing like  it. 

And  as  they  whispered  and  debated,  awe-struck  but 
discordant,  a  shout  arose  once  more  from  the  outer  circle 
— a  mighty  shout  of  mingled  surprise,  alarm,  and  terror. 
"Taboo!  Taboo!  Fence  the  mysteries.  Beware!  Oh, 
great  god,  we  warn  you.  The  mysteries  are  in  danger ! 
Cut  her  down  !     Kill  her!     A  woman  !     A  woman!" 

At  the  words,  Felix  was  aware  of  somebody  bursting 
through  the  dense  crowd  and  rushing  wildly  toward  him. 
Next  moment,  Muriel  hung  and  sobbed  on  his  shoulder, 
while  Mali,  just  behind  her,  stood  crying  and  moaning. 

Felix  held  the  poor  startled  girl  in  his  arms  and  s  joth- 
ed  her.  And  all  around  another  great  cry  arose  from  five 
hundred  lips  :  **  Two  women  have  profaned  the  mysteries 
of  the  god.  They  are  Tu-Kila-Kila's  trespass-offering. 
Let  us  kill  them  and  eat  them  ! " 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


SUSPENSE. 


In  a  moment,  Felix's  mind  was  fully  made  up.  There 
was  no  time  to  think  ;  it  was  the  hour  for  action.  He  saw 
how  he  must  comport  himself  toward  this  strange  wild 
people.  Seating  Muriel  gently  on  the  ground,  Mali  beside 
her,  and  stepping  forward  himself,  with  Peyron's  hand  in 
his,  he  beckoned  to  the  vast  and  surging  crowd  to  bespeak 
respectful  silence. 

A  miglity  luisli  fell  at  once  upon  the  people.  The 
King  of    Fire  and  the  King   of  Water  stood  back^  obc- 


THE   CRKAT  TADOO. 


205 


Dack 
,  pri- 
ded, 
iings 
3r   in 
any- 


k  but 
circle 
terror. 
I  Oh, 
anger  I 

ursting 
rd  him. 
loulder, 

ling. 

cl  suoth- 

romfive 

ysteries 

ffering. 


There 

He  saw 

ige  wild 

lli  beside 

hand  in 

I bespeak 

le.    The 
Ickj  obe- 


dient to  his  nod.  They  wailed  fur  tlic  upshot  of  this 
strange  new  deveK>pnient. 

'•  Men  of  li^nipari,"  Felix  began,  spealving  with  u  mar- 
vellous lluency  in  their  own  tongue,  for  tiie  excittnnent  it- 
self supplied  hiui  with  clocpience  ;  "  I  have  killed  your 
late  god  in  the  prescribed  way  ;  I  have  plucked  the  sacred 
bougii,  and  fought  in  single  combat  by  the  established 
rules  of  your  own  religion.  Fire  and  Water,  you  guard- 
ians of  this  holy  island,  is  it  not  so?  You  saw  all  things 
done,  did  you  not,  after  the  precepts  of  your  anccst(jrs  ?" 

The  King  of  Fire  bowed  low  and  answered  :  "Tu-Kila- 
Kila  speaks,  indeed,  the  truth.  Water  and  I,  with  our 
own  eyes,  have  seen  it." 

"  And  now,"  Felix  went  on,  **  I  am  myself,  by  your  own 
laws,  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

The  King  of  Fire  made  a  gesture  of  dissent.  **  Oh, 
great  god,  pardon  me,"  he  murmured,  "  if  I  say  aught, 
now,  to  contradict  you  ;  but  you  are  not  a  full  Tu-Kila- 
Kila  yet  till  you  have  eaten  of  the  heart  of  the  god,  your 
predecessor." 

*'  Then  where  is  now  the  spirit  of  Tu-Kila-Kila,  the 
very  high  god,  if  I  am  not  he?"  Felix  asked,  abruptly, 
thus  puzzling  them  with  a  hard  problem  in  their  own  sav- 
age theology. 

The  King  of  Fire  gave  a  start,  and  pondered.  This 
was  a  detail  of  his  creed  that  had  never  before  so  much  as 
occurred  to  him.  All  faiths  have  their  cruces.  "  I  do  not 
well  know,"  he  answered,  "  whether  it  is  in  the  heart  of 
Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami,  or  in  your  own  body.  But  I  feel 
sure  it  must  now  be  certainly  somewhere,  though  just 
where  our  fathers  have  never  told  us." 

Felix  recognized  at  once  that  he  had  gained  a  point. 
"Then  look  to  it  well,"  he  said,  austerely.  "  Be  careful 
how  you  act.  Do  nothing  rash.  For  either  the  soul  of 
the  god  is  in  the  heart  of  Lavita,  the  son  of  Sami  ;  and 
then,  since  T  refuse  to  cat  it,  it  will  decay  away,  as  Lavita's 
body  decays,  and  the  world  will  shrivel  up,  and  all  things 


i 


m 


206 


THE   CREAT  TABOO, 


I    i 


j: 


I 


will  perish,  because  the  god  is  dead  and  crumbled  to  dust 
furcver.  Or  else  it  is  in  my  body,  who  am  god  in  his  place  ; 
and  then,  if  anybody  docs  me  harm  or  hurt,  he  will  be  an 
impious  wretch,  and  will  have  broken  taboo,  and  Heaven 
knows  what  evils  and  misfortunes  may  not,  therefore,  fall 
on  each  and  all  of  you." 

A  very  old  chief  rose  from  the  ranks  outside.  His  hair 
was  white  and  his  eyes  bleared.  *'  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks 
well,"  ho  cried,  in  a  loud  but  mumbling  voice.  "  His 
words  are  wise.  He  argues  to  the  point.  He  is  very  cun- 
ning. I  advise  you,  my  people,  to  be  careful  how  you 
anger  the  white-faced  stranger,  for  you  know  what  he  is  ; 
he  is  cruel;  lie  is  powerful.  There  was  never  any  storm 
in  my  time — and  I  am  an  old  man — so  great  in  Boupari  as 
the  storm  tliat  rose  when  the  King  of  the  Rain  ate  the 
storm-apple.  Our  yams  and  our  taros  even  now  are  suffer- 
ing from  it.  He  is  a  mighty  strong  god.  Beware  how 
you  tamper  with  him  !  " 

He  sat  down,  trembling.  A  younger  chief  rose  from  a 
nearer  rank,  and  said  his  say  in  turn.  "I  do  not  agree 
with  our  father."  he  cried,  pointing  to  the  chief  who  had 
just  spoken.  "  His  word  is  evil  ;  he  is  much  mistaken.  I 
have  another  thought.  My  thought  is  this.  Let  us  kill 
and  eat  the  white-faced  stranger  at  once,  by  wager  of 
battle  ;  and  let  whosoever  fights  and  overcomes  him  receive 
his  honors,  and  take  to  wife  the  fair  woman,  the  Queen  of 
the  Clouds,  the  sun-faced  Korong,  whom  he  brought  from 
the  sun  with  him." 

"But  who  will  then  be  Tu-Kila-Kila?"  Felix  asked, 
turning  round  upon  him  quickly.  Habituation  to  danger 
had  made  him  unnaturally  alert  in  such  utmost  extremi- 
ties. 

"  Why,  the  man  who  slays  you,"  the  young  chief  an- 
swered, pointedly,  grasping  his  heavy  tomahawk  with  pro- 
found expression. 

"  I  think  not,"  Felix  answered.  "  Your  reasoning  is 
l^ad.     For  if  I  am  not  Tu-Kila-Kila,  how  can  any  man  be- 


THE  GREAT  TABOO, 


207 


to  dust 
place  ; 
I  be  an 
[Icavcn 
J  re,  fall 

lis  hair 
speaks 
.     "  His 
'cry  cun- 
io\v  you 
at  he  is  ; 
ny  storm 
oupari  as 
L   ate   the 
ire  suffer- 
,vare  how 

se  from  a 
not  agree 
who  had 
Istaken.     I 
et  us  kill 
wager  of 
im  receive 
Queen  of 
iijrht  from 

Ilix  asked, 
Ito  dangci- 
extre  mi- 
chief  an- 
with  pro- 

isoning  is 
ly  man  be- 


come Tu-Kila-Kila  by  killing  me  ?  And  if  I  am  Tu-Kila- 
Kila,  how  dare  you,  not  being  yourself  Korong,  and  not 
having  broken  off  the  sacred  bough,  as  I  did,  venture  to 
attack  me  ?  You  wish  to  set  aside  all  the  customs  of  liou- 
pari.     Are  you  not  ashamed  of  such  gross  impiety  ?  " 

"  Tu-Kila-Kila  speaks  well,"  the  King  of  Fire  put  in,  for 
he  had  no  cause  to  love  the  aggressive  young  chief,  and  he 
thought  better  of  his  chances  in  life  as  Felix's  minister. 
**  Besides,  now  I  think  of  it,  he  must  be  Tu-Kila-Kila,  be- 
cause he  has  taken  the  life  of  the  last  great  god,  whom  he 
slew  with  his  hands  ;  and  therefore  the  life  is  now  his — he 
liolds  it." 

Felix  was  emboldened  by  this  favorable  opinion  to 
strike  out  a  fresh  line  in  a  further  direction,  lie  stood 
forward  once  more,  and  beckoned  again  for  silence.  **Yes, 
my  people,"  he  said  calmly,  with  slow  articulation,  "by  the 
custom  of  your  race  and  the  creed  you  profess  1  am  now 
indeed,  and  in  every  truth,  the  abode  of  your  great  god, 
Tu-Kila-Kila.  But,  furthermore,  I  liave  a  new  revelation 
to  make  to  you.  I  am  going  to  instruct  you  in  a  fresh  way. 
Tliis  creed  that  you  hold  is  full  of  errors.  As  Tu-Kila-Kila, 
I  mean  to  take  my  own  course,  no  islander  hindering  me. 
If  you  try  to  depose  mc,  what  great  gods  have  you  now 
got  left  ?  None,  save  only  Fire  and  Water,  my  ministers. 
King  of  the  Rain  there  is  none  ;  for  I,  who  was  he,  am 
now  Tu-Kila-Kila.  Tu-Kila-Kila  there  is  none,  save  only 
mc  ;  for  tho  other,  that  was,  I  have  fought  and  conquered. 
Tiic  Oueen  of  the  Clouds  is  with  me.  The  Kins:  of  the 
Birds  is  with  me.  Consider,  then,  O  friends,  tliat  if  you 
kill  us  all,  you  will  have  nowhere  to  turn  ;  you  will  be  left 
quite  godless." 

"  It  is  true,"  the  people  murmured,  looking  about  them, 
half  puzzled.  "  He  is  wise.  He  speaks  well.  He  is  in- 
deed a  Tu-Kila-Kila." 

Felix  pressed  his  advantage  home  at  ^nce.  "  Now 
listen,"  he  said,  lifting  up  one  solemn  forefinger.  "I 
come  from  a  country  very  far  away,  where  the  customs 


ii 


: 


•1 


r 


H 


210 


'IV 


i; 


i.i  r 


T//£   GREAT  TABOO. 


It  behooves  us  to  bo  very  careful  how  we  deal  with  gods. 
Our  people  will  stand  round  your  precinct  in  a  row,  and 
guard  you  with  their  spears.  You  shall  not  cross  the  taboo 
line  to  them,  nor  they  to  you :  all  sliall  be  neutral.  Food 
shall  be  laid  by  the  line,  as  always,  morn,  noon,  and  night ; 
and  your  Siiadows  shall  take  it  in  ;  but  you  shall  not  come 
out.  Neither  shall  you  bury  the  body  of  Lavita,  the  son 
of  Sami.  Till  the  canoe  comes  back  it  shall  lie  in  the  sun 
and  rot  there." 

He  clapped  his  hands  twice. 

In  a  moment  a  tom-tom  began  to  beat  from  behind,  and 
the  people  all  crowded  without  the  circle.  The  King  of 
Fire  came  forward  ostentatiously  and  made  taboo.  "  If, 
any  man  cross  this  line,"  he  said  in  a  droning  sing-song, 
"till  the  canoe  return  from  the  crreat  oracle  of  our  faith  on 
Aloa  Mauna,  I,  Fire,  will  scorch  him  into  cinder  and  ashes. 
If  any  woman  transgress,  I  will  pitch  her  with  palm  oil, 
and  light  her  up  for  a  lamp  on  a  moonless  night  to  lighten 
this  temple." 

The  King  of  Water  distributed  shark's-tooth  spears.  At 
once  a  great  serried  wall  hemmed  in  the  Europeans  all 
round,  and  they  sat  down  to  wait,  the  three  whites  together, 
for  the  upshot  of  the  mission  to  Aloa  Mauna. 

And  the  dawn  now  gleamed  red  on  the  eastern  horizon. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 


li^U 


AT   SEA  :      OFF   BOUPARI. 

Thirteen  days  out  from  Sydney,  the  good  ship  Austral- 
asian was  nearing  the  equator. 

It  was  four  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  captain 
(off  duty)  paced  the  deck,  puffing  a  cigar,  and  talking  idly 
with  a  passenger  on  former  experiences. 

Eight  bells  went  on  the  quarter-deck ;  time  to  change 
watches. 


\ 


TITE   CRi:.\T  '/'.liiOO. 


211 


g;ods. 
,  and 
aboo- 
Food 
light ; 
;come 
tie  son 
he  sun 


id,  and 
<:ing  of 

).  "H, 
g-song, 
faith  on 
d  ashes, 
lalm  Oil, 
)  lighten 


ars.  At 
leans  all 
ogether, 

lorizon. 


Lustral- 

captain 
|ing  idly 

change 


"This  is  only  our  second  trip  tlirough  thiscliannel,"  tlic 
captairv  said,  gazing  across  with  a  casual  glance  at  the 
palm-trees  that  stood  dark  against  the  bkie  horizon.  "We 
used  to  go  a  hundred  miles  to  eastward,  here,  to  avoid  the 
reefs.  But  last  voyage  I  came  through  this  way  quite 
safely — though  we  had  a  nasty  accident  on  tlie  road — 
unavoidable — unavoidable  !  Big  sea  was  running  free 
over  the  sunken  shoals  ;  caught  the  ship  aft  unawares,  and 
stove  in  better  than  lialf  a  dozci  p(jrtliuies.  Lady  pas- 
senger on  deck  happened  to  be  leaning  over  the  weather 
gunwale  ;  big  sea  caught  her  up  on  its  crest  in  a  jiffy,  lifted 
her  like  a  baby,  and  laid  her  down  again  gently,  just  so, 
on  the  bed  of  the  ocean.  By  George,  sir,  1  was  annoyed. 
It  was  quite  a  romance,  poor  thing;  quite  a  romance; 
we  all  felt  so  put  out  about  it  the  rest  of  that  voyage. 
Young  fellow  on  board,  nephew  of  Sir  Tiicodore  Thurs- 
tan,  jf  the  Colonial  Office,  was  in  love  with  ]Miss  Ellis 
— girl's  name  ■■'as  Ellis — father's  a  parson  somewhere 
down  in  Somefsetshire — and  as  soon  as  the  bi<2:  sea  took 
ner  up  on  its  crest,  what  does  Thurstan  go  and  do,  but 
he  ups  on  the  taffrail,  and,  before  you  could  say  Jack 
Robinson,  jumps  over  to  save  her." 

"  But  he  didn't  succeed  ? "  the  passenger  asked,  with 
languid  interest. 

"  Succeed,  my  dear  sir  ?  and  witii  a  sea  running  twelve 
feet  high  like  that  ?  Why,  it  was  pitch  dark,  and  such  a 
surf  on  that  the  gig  could  hardly  go  through  it."  The  cap- 
tain smiled,  and  puffed  away  pensively.  "  Drowned," 
he  said,  after  a  brief  pause,  with  complacent  composure. 
"Drowned.  Drowned.  Drowned.  Went  to  the  bottom, 
both  of  'em.  Davy  Jones's  locker.  But  unavoidable, 
quite.  These  accidents  icill  happen,  even  on  the  best-reg- 
ulated liners.  Why,  there  was  my  brother  Tom,  in  the 
Cunard  service — same  that  boast  they  never  lost  a  passen- 
ger ;  there  was  my  brother  Tom,  lie  was  out  one  day  off 
the  Newfoundland  banks,  heavy  swell  setting  in  from  the 
nor'-nor'-east,  icebergs  ahead,  passengers  battened  down— 


21^ 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


mrr 


\      III 


ll'i': 


l: 


: ,      I 


Bless  my  soul,  how  that  light  seems  to  come  and  go,  don't 
it  ? " 

It  was  a  reflected  light,  flashing  from  the  island  straight 
in  the  captain's  eyes,  small  and  insignificant  as  to  size, 
but  strong  for  all  that  in  the  full  tropical  sunshine,  and 
glittering  like  a  diamond  from  a  vague  elevation  near  the 
centre  of  the  island. 

"Seems  to  come  and  go  in  regular  order,"  the  passen- 
ger observed,  reflectively,  withdrawing  his  cigar.  "  Looks 
for  all  the  world  just  like  naval  signalling." 

The  captain  paused,  and  shaded  his  eyes  a  moment. 
"  Hanged  if  that  isn't  just  what  it  /j,"  he  answered,  slowly. 
"It's  a  rigged-up  heliograph,  and  they're  using  the  Morse 
code  ;  dash  my  eyes  if  they  aren't.  Well,  this  is  civiliza- 
tion !  What  the  dickens  can  have  come  to  the  island  of 
Boupari  ?  There  isn't  a  darned  European  soul  in  the 
place,  nor  ever  has  been.  Anchorage  unsafe  ;  no  harbor  ; 
bad  reef  ;  too  small  for  missionaries  to  make  a  living,  and 
nutives  got  nothing  worth  speaking  of  to  trade  in." 

"What  do  they  say?"  the  passenger  asked,  with  sud- 
denly quickened  interest. 

"  How  the  devil  should  I  tell  you  yet,  sir  ? "  the  captain 
retorted  with  choleric  grumpiness.  "  Don't  you  see  I'm 
spelling  it  out,  letter  by  letter  ?  O,  r,  e,  s,  c,  u,  e,  u,  s,  c, 
o,  m,  e,  w,  e,  1,  1,  a,  r,  m,  e,  d —  Yes,  yes,  I  twig  it."  And 
the  captain  jotted  it  down  in  his  note-book  for  some  sec- 
onds, silently. 

"Run  up  the  flag  there,"  he  shouted,  a  moment  later, 
rushing  hastily  forward.  "  Stop  her  at  once.  Walker. 
Easy,  easy.  Get  ready  the  gig.  Well,  upon  my  soul, 
there  is  a  rum  start  anyway." 

"What  does  the  message  say?"  the  passenger  inquired, 
with  intense  surprise. 

"Say?  Well,  there's  what  T  make  it  out,"  the  captain 
answered,  handing  him  the  scrap  of  paper  on  which  be 
had  jotted  down  the  letters.  "  I  missed  the  bepfinnincf, 
but  the  end's  all  right.     Look  alive  there,  boys,  will  you. 


I 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


213 


,  don't 

iraight 
o  size, 
le,  and 
;ar  the 

passen- 
*  Looks 


Bring  out  the  Winchester.  T.-ikc  cutlasses,  all  hands. 
I'll  go  along  myself  in  her." 

The  passenger  took  tlic  piece  of  paper  on  which  he 
read,  *'and  send  a  boat  to  rescue  us.  Come  well  armed. 
Savages  on  guard.     Tiuirstan,  Ellis." 

In  less  than  three  minutes  the  boat  was  lowered  and 
manned,  and  the  captain,  with  the  Wincliester  six-shooter 
by  his  side,  seated  grim  in  the  stern,  took  command  of  the 
tiller. 


noment. 
,  slowly. 
,e  Morse 
civiliza- 
island  of 
I  in    the 
)  harbor ; 
'ing,  and 

M 

1. 

^vith  sud- 

captain 
see  I'm 
e,  u,  s,  c, 
it."    And 
Isome  sec- 
lent  later, 
Walker. 
I  my    soul, 

inquired, 

le  captain 

Iwhich  he 

ie£i;innin2f, 

will  you. 


On  the  island  it  was  the  first  day  of  Felix  and  Muriel's 
imprisonment  in  the  dusty  precinct  of  Tu-Ki-la  Kila's  tem- 
ple. All  the  morning  through,  they  had  sat  under  the 
shade  of  a  smallv^r  banyan  in  tlie  outer  corner  ;  for  Muriel 
could  neitlier  enter  the  noisome  hut  nor  go  near  the  great 
tree  with  the  skeletons  on  its  branches  ;  nor  could  she  sit 
where  the  dead  savage's  body,  still  festering  in  the  sun, 
attracted  the  buzzing  blue  flies  by  thousands,  to  drink  up 
the  blood  tiiat  lay  thick  on  the  earth  in  a  pool  around  it. 
Hard  by,  the  natives  sat,  keen  as  lynxes,  in  a  great  circle 
just  outside  the  white  taboo-line,  where,  with  serried 
spears,  they  kept  watch  and  ward  over  the  persons  of 
their  doubtful  gods  or  victims.  M.  Pcyron,  alone  pre- 
serving his  equanimity  under  these  adverse  circumstances, 
hummed  low  to  himself  in  very  dubious  tones ;  even  he 
felt  his  French  gayety  had  somewhat  forsaken  him  ;  this 
revolution  in  Boupari  failed  to  excite  his  Parisian  ardor. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  day,  however,  looking  casu- 
ally seaward— what  was  this  that  M.  Peyron,  to  his  great 
surprise,  descried  far  away  on  the  dim  southern  horizon  ? 
A  low  black  line,  lying  close  to  the  water  ?  No,  no  ;  not 
a  steamer! 

Too  prudent  to  excite  the  natives'  attention  unneces- 
sarily, the  cautious  Frenchman  whispered,  in  the  most 
commonplace  voice  on  earth  to  Felix  :  "  Don't  look  at 
once  ;  and  when  you  do  look,  mind  you  don't  exhibit  any 
agitation  in  your  tone  or  manner.     But  what  do  you  make 


:i  f 


•I ; 


■ 
- 1 


■--■ 


1     l! 


fii 


If 


214 


rilK   GREAT  TABOO. 


tliat  out  to  be — tliat  long  bhick  haze  on  the  horizon  to 
soutluvard  ? "  •       ' 

Felix  loolved,  disregarding  tlie  friendly  injunction,  at 
once.  At  the  same  moment,  Muriel  turned  her  eyes 
quickly  in  the  self-same  direction.  Neither  made  the 
faintest  sign  of  outer  emotion  ;  but  Muriel  clenched  her 
wliitc  hands  hard,  till  the  nails  dug  into  the  palm,  in  her 
effort  to  restrain  herself,  as  she  murmured  very  low,  in  an 
agitated  voice,  "£/>/  vapeur,  un  vapeur!'' 

''  So  I  think,"  M.  Peyron  answered,  very  low  and  calm. 
*•  It  is,  indeed,  a  steamer !" 

For  three  Ions:  hours  those  anxious  souls  waited  and 
watched  it  draw  nearer  and  nearer.  Slowly  the  natives, 
too,  began  to  perceive  the  unaccustomed  object.  As  it 
drew  abreast  of  the  island,  and  the  decisive  moment  ar- 
rived for  prompt  action,  Felix  rose  in  his  place  once  more 
and  cried  aloud,  "  My  people,  I  told  you  a  sliip,  propelled 
by  fire,  would  come  from  the  far  land  across  the  sea  to 
take  us.  The  ship  has  come  ;  you  can  see  for  yourselves 
the  thick  black  smoke  that  issues  in  huge  puffs  from  the 
mouth  of  the  monster.  Now,  listen  to  me,  and  dare  not 
to  disobey  me.  My  word  is  law  ;  let  all  men  see  to  it.  I 
am  going  to  send  a  message  of  fire  from  the  sun  to  the 
great  canoe  that  walks  upon  the  water.  If  any  man  vent- 
lU'es  to  stop  me  from  doing  it  the  people  from  the  great 
canoe  will  land  on  this  isle  and  take  vengeance  for  his  act, 
and  kill  with  the  thunder  which  the  sailing  gods  carry  ever 
about  with  them." 

By  this  time  the  island  was  alive  with  commotion. 
Hundreds  of  natives,  with  their  long  hair  falling  unkempt 
about  their  keen  brown  faces,  were  gazing  with  open  eyes 
at  the  big  black  ship  that  plouglied  her  way  so  fast  against 
wind  and  tide  over  tlie  surface  of  the  waters.  Some  of 
them  shouted  and  gesticulated  with  panic  fear ;  others 
seemed  half  inclined  to  waste  no  time  ^n  preparation  or 
doubt,  but  to  rush  on  at  once,  and  immolate  their  captives 
before  ^i  rescue  was  possible.     But  Felix,  keeping  ever 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


215 


n  to 

n,  at 

eyes 
;  the 
d  her 
a  her 

in  an 

calm. 

d  and 

ntives, 
As  it 

2nt  ar- 

e  more 

opelled    . 

I  sea  to 

irselves 

rom  the 

are  not 

o  it.     I 
to  the 

m  vent- 
le  great 
his  act, 
-ry  ever 

motion. 

Inkempt 

^en  eyes 

asfainst 

)ome  of 

others 

lation  or 
:aptives 
igr  ever 


his  cool  head  undisturbed,  stood  on  the  dusty  mound  by 
Tu-Kila-Kila's  house,  and  taking  in  liis  hand  tlic  little  mir- 
ror he  had  made  from  the  match-box,  Hashed  tlic  light 
from  the  sun  full  in  their  eyes  for  a  moment,  to  the  aston- 
ishment and  discomfiture  of  all  those  gaping  savages. 
Then  he  focussed  it  on  the  Australasian,  across  the  surf 
and  the  waves,  and  with  a  throbbing  heart  began  to  make 
his  last  faint  bid  for  life  and  freedom. 

For  four  or  five  minutes  he  went  tlasliing  on,  uncertain 
of  the  effect,  whether  they  saw  or  saw  not.  Tiien  a  cry 
from  Muriel  burst  at  once  upon  his  ears.  She  clasped 
her  hands  convulsively  in  an  agony  of  joy.'  "  They  see 
us  !     They  see  us  !  " 

And  sure  enough,  scarcely  half  a  minute  later,  a  British 
flag  ran  gayly  up  tlie  mainmast,  and  a  boat  seemed  to 
drop  down  over  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

As  for  the  natives,  they  watched  these  proceedings  with 
considerable  surprise  and  no  little  discomfiture — Fire  and 
Water,  in  particular,  wliispering  together,  much  alarmed, 
with  many  superstitious  nods  and  taboos,  in  the  corner  of 
the  enclosure. 

Gradually,  as  the  boat  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  divided 
counsels  prevailed  among  the  savages.  With  no  certainly 
recognized  Tu-Kila-Kila  to  marshal  their  movements,  each 
man  stood  in  doubt  from  whom  to  take  his  orders.  At 
last,  the  King  of  Fire,  in  a  hesitating  voice,  gave  the  word 
of  command.  "  Half  the  warriors  to  the  shore  to  repel 
the  enemy  ;  half  to  watch  round  tlie  taboo-line,  lest  the 
Korongs  escape  us!  Let  Breathless  Fear,  our  war-god, 
go  before  the  face  of  our  troops,  invisible  !  " 

And,  quick  as  thought,  at  his  word,  the  warriors  had 
paired  off,  two  and  two,  in  long  lines  ;  some  running  has- 
tily down  to  the  beach,  to  man  the  war-canoes,  while  others 
remained,  with  shark's  tooth  spears  still  set  in  a  looser  cir- 
cle, round  the  great  temple-enclosure  of  Tu-Kila-Kila. 

For  Muriel,  this  suspense  was  positively  terrible.  To 
feel  one  was  so  close  to  the  hope  of  rescue,  and  yet  tQ 


I  •; 


I    I 


2l6 


THE   GREAT  TABOO. 


know  that  before  that  help  arrived,  or  even  as  it  came  up, 
those  savages  might  any  moment  run  their  ghastly  spears 
through  tlicm. 

But  Felix  made  the  best  of  his  position  still.  "  Re- 
member," he  cried,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  as  the  warriors 
started  at  a  run  for  the  water's  edge,  "your  Tu-Kila-Kila 
tells  you,  these  new-comers  are  his  friends.  Whoever 
hurts  them,  does  so  at  his  peril.  This  is  a  great  Taboo. 
I  bid  you  receive  them.  Beware  for  your  lives.  I,  Tu- 
Kila-Kila  the  Great,  have  said  it." 


J .  ,.'■ 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


^'.'' 


(Ivl 


■rl\\'\ 


■ ; '  I 


THE   DOWNFALL   OF   A   PANTHEON. 

The  Australasian's  gig  entered  the  lagoon  through  the 
fringing  reef  by  its  narrow  seaward  mouth,  and  rowed 
steadily  for  the  landing  place  on  the  main  island. 

A  little  way  out  from  shore,  amid  loud  screams  and  yells, 
the  natives  came  up  with  it  in  their  laden  war-canoes. 
Shouting  and  gesticulating  and  brandishing  their  spears 
with  the  shark's  tooth  tips,  they  endeavored  to  stop  its  prog- 
ress landward  by  pure  noise  and  bravado, 

"We  must  be  careful  what  we  do,  boys,"  the  captain  ob- 
served, in  a  quiet  voice  of  seamanlike  resolution  to  his 
armed  companions.  "We  mustn't  frighten  the  savages  too 
much,  or  show  too  hostile  a  front,  for  fear  they  should  re- 
aliate  on  our  friends  on  the  island."  He  held  up  his  hand, 
'vith  the  ^o^-^  braid  on  the  wrist,  to  command  silence  ;  and 
tue  natives,  gazing  open-mouthed,  looked  and  wondered  at 
the  gesture.  These  sailing  gods  were  certainly  arrayed 
in  most  gorgeous  vestments,  and  their  canoe,  though  de- 
void of  a  grinning  figure-head,  was  provided  with  a  most 
admirable  and  well-iniiformed  equipment. 

A  coral  rock  jutted  high  out  of  tlie  sea  to  the  left  hard 
by.     Its  suinmit  was  crQVv4cd  with  a  basking  population  of 


•  !i 


THE   CREAl'  TABOO. 


217 


Up, 

ears 

'Re- 

riors 

-Kila 

Dcver 

aboo. 

[,Tu- 


gh  the 
rowed 

^d  yells, 
canoes. 
:  spears 
ts  prog- 
Lain  ob- 
to  his 
Lges  too 
>uld  re- 
is  hand, 
Ice  ;  and 
lered  at 
larrayed 
igh  de- 
a  most 

tft  hard 
ation  of 


sea-gulls  and  pelicans.  The  captain  gave  the  word  to 
"easy  all."  In  a  second  the  gig  stopped  sliort,  as  those 
stout  arms  held  her.  lie  rose  in  his  phicc  and  lifted  tiie 
six-shooter.  Then  he  pointed  it  ostentatiously  at  the  rock, 
away  from  the  native  canoes,  and  held  up  his  hand  yet 
aeain  for  silence.  "  We'll  i>;ive  'cm  a  taste  of  what  we  can 
do,  boys,"  he  said,  "just  to  show 'em,  not  to  hurt  'em." 
At  that  he  drew  the  trigger  twice.  His  first  two  chambers 
were  loaded  on  purpose  with  duck-shot  cartridges.  Twice 
the  big  gun  roared  ;  twice  the  fire  flashed  red  from  its 
smoking  mouth.  As  the  smoke  cleared  away,  the  natives, 
dumb  with  surprise,  and  perfectly  cowed  with  terror,  saw 
ten  or  a  dozen  torn  and  bleeding  birds  float  mangled  upon 
the  water. 

"  Now  for  the  dynamite !  "  the  captain  said,  cheerily,  pro- 
ceeding to  lower  a  small  object  overboard  by  a  single  wire, 
while  he  lield  up  his  hand  a  third  time  to  bespeak  silence 
and  attention. 

The  natives  looked  again,  with  eyes  starting  from  their 
heads.  The  captain  <^ave  a  little  click,  and  pointed  with 
his  finger  to  a  spot  on  the  water's  top,  a  little  way  in  front 
of  him.  Instantly,  a  loud  report,  and  a  column  of  water 
spurted  up  into  the  air,  some  ten  or  twelve  feet,  in  a  bois- 
terous fountain.  As  it  subsided  again,  a  hundred  or  so  of 
the  bright-colored  fish  that  browse  among  the  submerged 
coral-groves  of  these  still  lagoons,  rose  dead  or  dying  to 
the  seething,  boiling  surface. 

The  captain  smiled.  Instantly  the  natives  set  up  a 
terrified  shout.  "  It  is  even  as  he  said,"  they  cried. 
"  These  gods  are  his  ministers  !  The  white-faced  Korong  is 
a  very  great  deity!  He  is  indeed  the  true  Tu-Kila-Kila. 
These  gods  have  come  for  him.  They  are  very  mighty. 
Thunder  and  lightning  and  waterspouts  are  theirs.  The 
waves  do  as  they  bid.  The  sea  obeys  them.  They  are  here 
to  take  away  our  Tu-Kila-Kila  from  our  midst.  And  what 
will  then  become  of  the  island  of  Boupari  ?  Will  it  not 
sink  in  the  waves  of  the  sea  and  disappear  ?    Will  not  the 


:M:ii 


';ii 


218 


rilE   GREAT  TABOO. 


sun  in  heaven  grow  dark,  and  the  moon  cease  to  shed  its 
benign  light  on  the  earth,  when  Tu-Kila-Kila  the  Great 
returns  at  hist  to  his  own  far  country  ? " 

"Tliat  lot'll  do  for  'em,  I  expect,"  the  captain  said 
cheerily,  with  a  confident  smile.  "  Now  forward  all, 
boys.     I  fancy  we've  astonished  the  natives  a  trille." 

They  rowed  on  steadily,  but  cautiously,  toward  the 
white  bank  of  sand  whicli  formed  the  usual  landing-place, 
the  captain  liolding  the  six-shooter  in  readiness  all  liic 
time,  and  keeping  an  eye  firmly  fixed  on  every  movement 
of  the  savages.  But  tlie  warriors  in  tiie  canoes,  thoroughly 
cowed  and  overawed  by  this  singular  exhibition  of  the 
strangers*  prowess,  paddled  on  in  whispering  silence, 
nearly  abreast  of  the  gig,  but  at  a  safe  distance,  as  they 
thought,  and  eyed  the  advancing  Europeans  with  quiet 
looks  of  unmixed  suspicion. 

At  last,  the  adventurous  young  chief,  who  had  advised 
killing  Felix  off-hand  on  the  island,  mustered  up  courage 
to  paddle  liis  own  canoe  a  little  nearer,  and  flung  his  spear 
madly  in  the  direction  of  the  gig.  It  fell  short  by  ten 
yards.  He  stood  eying  it  angrily.  But  the  captain, 
grimly  quiet,  raising  his  Winchester  to  his  shoulder  without 
one  second's  delay,  and  marking  his  man,  fired  at  the 
young  chief  as  he  stood,  still  half  in  the  attitude  of  throw- 
ing, on  the  prow  of  his  canoe,  an  easy  aim  for  fire-arms. 
The  ball  went  clean  through  the  savage's  breast,  and  then 
ricochetted  three  times  on  the  water  afar  off.  The  young 
chief  fell  stone  dead  into  the  sea  like  a  log,  and  sank  in- 
stantly to  the  bottom. 

It  was  a  critical  moment.  The  captain  felt  uncertain 
whether  the  natives  would  close  round  them  in  force  or 
not.  It  is  always  dangerous  to  fire  a  shot  at  savages. 
But  the  Boupari  men  were  too  utterly  awed  to  venture  on 
defence.  "  He  was  Tu-Kila-Kila's  enemy,"  they  cried,  in 
astonished  tones.  "  He  raised  his  voice  against  the  very 
high  god.  Therefore,  the  very  high  god's  friends  have 
smitten    him  with  their    lig;litning.    Their    thunderbolt 


■,1^-:,  ,i?iii!' 


THE    GREAT   TAJWO. 


219 


went  through  liim,  and  hit  the  water  beyond.  How  strong 
is  iheir  hand  !  Tiicy  can  kill  from  afar.  They  are  mighty 
guds.  Let  no  man  strive  to  ligiit  against  the  friends  of 
Tii-Kila-Kila." 

The  sailors  rowed  on  and  reached  the  landing-place. 
There,  half  of  them,  headed  by  the  captain,  disembarked 
in  good  order,  with  drawn  cnilasses,  while  the  otlicr  half 
remained  behind  to  guard,  the  gig,  under  the  third  ofTiccr. 
The  natives  also  disembarked,  a  little  way  off,  and,  making 
humble  signs  of  submission  with  knee  and  arm,  endeavored, 
by  pantomime,  to  express  the  idea  of  their  willingness  to 
guide  the  strangers  to  their  friends'  quarters. 

The  captain  waved  them  on  with  his  hand.  The  natives, 
reassured,  led  the  way,  at  some  distance  ahead,  along  the 
paths  through  the  jungle.  The  captain  had  his  finger  on 
his  six-shooter  the  while  ;  every  sailor  grasped  his  cut- 
lass and  kept  his  revolver  ready  for  action.  "I  don't  half 
like  the  look  of  it,"  the  captain  observed,  partly  to  him- 
self. "They  seem  to  be  leading  us  into  an  ambuscade 
or  something.  Keep  a  sharp  lookout  against  surprise  from 
the  jungle,  boys;  and  if  any  native  shows  fight  shoot  him 
down  instantly." 

At  last  they  emerged  upon  a  clear  space  in  the  front, 
where  a  great  group  of  savages  stood  in  a  circle,  with  ser- 
ried spears,  round  a  large  wattled  hut  that  occupied  the 
elevated  centre  of  the  clearing. 

For  a  minute  or  two  the  action  of  the  savages  was  un- 
certain. Half  of  the  defenders  turned  round  to  face  the 
invaders  angrily  ;  the  other  lialf  stood  irresolute,  with 
their  spears  still  held  inward,  guarding  a  white  line  of 
sand  with  inflexible  devotion. 

The  warriors  who  had  preceded  them  from  the  shore 
called  aloud  to  their  friends  by  the  temple  in  startled  tones. 
The  captain  and  sailors  had  no  idea  what  their  words 
meant.  But  just  then,  from  the  midst  of  the  circle,  an 
English  voice  cried  out  in  haste,  "Don't  fire  !  Do  nothing 
rash  I    We're  safe.    Don't  be  frightened,    The  natives  are 


( ', 


ir 


:M 


M^ 


H 


220 


T///i   GREAT  TABOO. 


disposed  to  parley  and  palaver.  Take  care  how  you  act. 
Tliev're  terribly  afraid  of  you." 

Just  outside  the  taboo-line  the  captain  halted.  The 
gray-headed  old  chief,  who  liad  accompanied  his  fellows  to 
the  shore,  spoke  out  in  Polynesian.  *'  Do  not  resist  liicni," 
he  said,  *' my  people.  If  you  do,  you  will  bo  blasted  by 
their  lightning  like  a  bare  bamboo  in  a  miglity  cyclone. 
Tliey  carry  thunder  in  their  hands.  They  arc  mighty, 
mighty  gods.  The  white-faced  Korong  spoke  no  more 
than  the  truth.  Let  them  do  as  they  will  witii  us.  We  are 
but  their  meat.  We  are  as  dust  beneath  their  sole,  and  as 
driven  mulberry-leaves  before  the  breath  of  the  tempest." 

The  defenders  hesitated  still  a  little.  Tlicn,  suddenly 
losing  heart,  they  broke  rank  at  last  at  a  point  close  by 
where  the  captain  of  the  Australasian  stood,  one  man  after 
another  falling  aside  slowly  and  shamefacedly  a  pace  or 
two.  The  captain,  unhesitatingly,  overstepped  tlic  white 
taboo-line.  Next  instant,  Felix  and  Muriel  were  grasping 
his  hand  hard,  and  M.  Pcyron  was  bowing  a  polite  Paris- 
ian reception. 

Forthwith,  the  sailors  crowded  round  them  in  a  hollow 
square.  Muriel  and  Felix,  half  faint  with  relief  from  their 
long  and  anxious  suspense,  staggered  slowly  down  the 
seaward  path  between  them.  But  there  was  no  need  now 
for  further  show  of  defence.  The  islanders,  pressing  near 
and  flinging  away  their  weapons,  followed  the  procession 
close,  with  tears  and  lamentations.  As  they  went  on,  the 
women,  rushing  out  of  thei'*  huts  while  the  fugitives 
passed,  tore  their  hair  on  their  heads,  and  beat  their  breasts 
in  terror.  The  warriors  who  had  come  from  the  shore  re- 
counted, with  their  own  exaggerative  additions,  the  mira- 
cle of  the  six-shooter  and  the  dynamite  cartridge.  Gradu- 
ally they  approached  the  landing-place  on  the  beach. 
There  the  third  officer  sat  waiting  in  the  gig  to  receive 
them.  The  lamentations  of  the  islanders  now  became  pos- 
itively poignant.  "Oh,  my  father,"  they  cried  aloud,  "my 
brother,  my  revered  one,  you  are  indeed  the  true  Tu- 


..' 


THE   GREAT  TABOO, 


221 


Oil  act. 

I.  The 
lows  to 
:Lhcm," 
steel  by 
:ycU)ne. 
mighty, 
,o    mure 

Wc  lire 
3,  and  as 
mpcst." 
Hiddcnly 
close  by 
nan  after 

pace  or 

he  white 

grasping 

ite  Paris- 

a  hollow 
|rom  their 
[.lown  the 
need  now 
[sing  near 
jrocession 
It  on,  the 
I  fugitives 
lir  breasts 
1  shore  re- 
Ihe  mira- 
Gradu- 
[e   beach, 
receive 
[ame  pos- 
lud,  "  my 
Itrue  Tu- 


Kila-Kila.  Do  not  go  away  like  this  and  desert  us  !  Oh, 
our  mother,  great  queen,  mighty  goddess,  stop  with  us  ! 
Take  not  away  your  sun  from  the  heavens,  nor  your  rain 
from  the  crops.  We  acknowledge  we  have  sinned  ;  we 
have  done  very  wrong  ;  but  tlie  chief  sinner  is  dead  ;  the 
wrong-doer  has  paid  ;  spare  us  who  remain  ;  spare  us, 
great  deity;  do  not  make  the  briglit  liglits  of  heaven  be- 
come dark  over  us.  Stay  with  your  worshippers,  and  we 
will  give  you  choice  young  girls  to  eat  every  day,  we  will 
sacrifice  the  tenderest  of  our  children  to  feed  you." 

It  is  an  awful  thing  for  any  race  or  nation  when  its 
taboos  fail  all  at  once,  and  die  out  entirely.  To  the  men 
of  Boupari,  the  Tu-Kila-Kila  of  the  moment  represented 
both  the  Moral  Order  and  the  regular  sequence  of  the 
physical  universe.  Anarchy  and  chaos  might  rule  when 
he  was  gone.  The  sun  might  be  quenched,  and  the  peo- 
ple run  riot.  No  wonder  they  shrank  from  the  fearful 
consequence  thai  might  next  ensue.  King  and  priest,  god 
and  religion,  all  at  one  fell  blow  were  to  be  taken  away 
from  them  ! 

Felix  turned  round  on  the  shore  and  spoke  to  them 
again.  "My  people,"  he  said,  in  a  kindly  tone — for,  after 
all,  he  pitied  them — "you  need  have  no  fear.  When  I  am 
gone,  the  sun  will  still  shine  and  the  trees  will  still  bear 
fruit  every  year  as  formerly.  I  will  send  the  messengers 
I  promised  from  my  own  land  to  teach  you.  Until  they 
come,  I  leave  you  this  as  a  great  Taboo.  Tu-Kila-Kila 
enjoins  it.  Shed  no  human  blood  ;  eat  no  human  flesh. 
Those  who  do  will  be  punished  when  another  fire-canoe 
comes  from  the  far  land  to  bring  my  messengers." 

The  King  of  Fire  bent  low  at  the  words.  "  Oh,  Tu- 
Kila-Kila,"  he  said,  **it  shall  be  done  as  you  say.  Till 
your  messengers  come,  every  man  shall  live  at  peace  with 
all  his  neighbors." 

They  stepped  into  the  gig.  Mali  and  Toko  followed 
before  M.  Peyron  as  naturally  as  they  had  always  followed 
their  masters  on  the  island  before. 


222 


THE   a  NEAT  TABOO. 


"  Who  arc  these  ? "  the  captain  asked,  smiling. 

"Our  Sha'lows,"  Felix  answered.  "Let  them  come.  I 
will  pay  their  passage  when  I  reach  San  Francisco.  Tiiey 
liave  been  very  faithful  to  us,  and  they  are  afraid  to  re- 
main, lest  the  islanders  should  kill  them  for  letting  us  go 
or  f(n'  not  accompanying  us." 

"Very  well,"  the  captain  answered.  "Forward  all, 
there,  boys!  Now,  ahead  for  the  ship.  And  thank  God, 
we're  well  out  of  it!" 

liut  the  islanders  still  stood  on  the  shore  and  wept, 
strelching  their  hands  in  vain  after  the  departing  boat, 
and  cryi-ng  aloud  in  piteous  tones,  **  Oh,  my  father,  return  ! 
Oh,  my  mother,  come  back  !  Oh,  very  great  gods,  do  not 
lly  and  desert  us  !" 


;!i  Ii , 


I; 


i.i:v 


n 


ii 


Seven  weeks  later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Felix  Thurstan,  who 
had  been  married  in  the  cathedral  at  Honolulu  the  very 
morning  the  Australasian  arrived  there,  sat  in  an  eminently 
respectable  drawing-room  in  a  London  square,  where 
Mrs.  Ellis,  Muriel's  aunt  by  marriage,  was  acting  as  their 
hostess. 

"  But  how  dreadful  it  is  to  think,  dear,"  Mrs.  Ellis  re- 
marked for  the  twentieth  time  since  their  arrival,  with  a 
deep-drawn  sigh,  "how  dreadful  to  think  that  you  and 
Felix  should  have  been  all  those  months  alone  on  the 
island  together  without  being  married  !" 

Muriel  looked  up  with  a  quiet  snile  toward  Felix.  "I 
think,  Aunt  Mary,"  she  said,  dreamily,  "if  you'd  been 
there  yourself,  and  suffered  all  those  fears,  and  passed 
through  all  those  horrors  that  we  did  together,  you'd  have 
troubled  your  head  very  little  indeed  about  such  conven- 
tionalities, as  whether  or  not  you  happened  to  be  mar- 
ried. .  .  Besides,"  she  added,  after  a  pause,  with  a 
fine  perception  of  the  inexorable  stringency  of  Mrs. 
Grundy's  law,  "we  weren't  quite  without  chaperons,  either, 
don't  you  know ;  for  our  Shadows,  of  course,  were  always 
with  us." 


Tirr.  ciiEAT  r.t/ioo. 


223 


because  it  made  Muriel  kno:      ^wp,:  IrT/^^^!  ''' 
»»d  ,t  ,„ade  mo  l<„ow  l,ovv  bnve  •„,  I        "    ',     ""'  ''"' 


THE     END. 


Wt) ; 


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counts  ol 
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rid  tiiid  it  ft 
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onfTKy  of 
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HT.     516 

•  occaalon 

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